Kane Williamson, New Zealand captain in the recently concluded World T20 and a key member of Sunrisers Hyderabad, believes that his team has the perfect blend of experience and exciting talent to be a strong contender to win the Indian Premier League this season.
Sunrisers Hyderabad Team Preview: >Will Sunrisers rise to the occasion?
“The biggest challenge for any cricketer who figured in the recent T20 World Cup will be to identify the style of cricket he should play and do that consistently over the next few weeks,” the Black Caps batsman pointed out in an exclusive interview with Sportstar on Saturday.
“Yes, spin was a major factor in the recent T20 World Cup and the slow bowlers can play a major role again in the IPL too though one is not sure what kind of pitches are prepared at different venues,” Williamson remarked.
Sunrisers' chances
“Sunrisers' strength is its all-round depth in batting, bowling and fielding too. We have a perfect blend of experience and exciting talent. To have so many internationals, who were part of the recent World Cup, is a terrific sight. They bring in so much of experience and class with them and this coupled with the highly talented domestic pool of players, should make SRH a force to reckon with,” he explained.
Missing Yuvraj for two weeks
Referring to Yuvraj Singh’s absence for the next two weeks because of an injury, Williamson admitted it would be a big loss to the team given his stature and amazing ability.
“No doubt, he is a big player. But, again, we have to focus on the possible eleven and look ahead as these are issues which are beyond our control,” he commented.
“It is a great experience to share your thoughts on the game with such a world-class player like VVS (team mentor Laxman) and head coach Tom Moody. I enjoyed this last season and am looking forward to a similar experience this time around too,” says Williamson, who can also bowl off-spin.
“It is going to help us definitely to have all seven games at one place (Hyderabad) for we can know the playing conditions better, prepare and evolve strategies accordingly,” the 25-year-old New Zealand captain said.
“Realistically, we do believe that we can win the title this season. We are aware of the areas of our strengths and the key areas where we need to focus more this time and the best part is the team spirit is really high,” Williamson said.
New Zealand’s World T20 journey
Reflecting on leading New Zealand to the semis in the recent T20 World Cup, the Kiwi cricketer said they had a great tournament despite it being a really tough one.
“We lost our way in the semi-final to England in the space of a couple of overs. Otherwise, I must say that our players adapted to the conditions really well and put up a great show. And, credit should be given to England for playing better on the given day,” he remarked.
The New Zealand T20 captain also asserted that the 23-year-old leg-spinner Ish Sodhi is a huge talent.
“He has already shown what he is capable of and has had a fantastic World Cup under testing conditions which is never easy. He is an extremely talented spinner who can be the match-winner for New Zealand in the days to come,” concluded Williamson.
Comments
SHARE