Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have made a brilliant comeback in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. After losing their first two games, the side led by Kane Williamson, have gone on to win their next five games to steer to the top of the table. However, many people believe that given the pitches will wear out in the second half of this IPL season, it might be a concern for SRH who are without their former star spinner Rashid Khan.
But these concerns were brushed aside by their batting coach Brian Lara, who instead made a bold statement on the Afghanistan spin sensation.
"I have great respect for Rashid Khan but I believe we have the right combination. Rashid Khan was someone who opposition teams decided to defend against, he was not much of a wicket-taker," Lara said after SRH's win against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
During his time with Hyderabad, Rashid was their mainstay bowler. He picked up 93 wickets for the team in 76 innings at an economy rate of just 6.33 and a strike rate of 19.5. However, Rashid opted to be part of the mega auction for the ongoing season and SRH let go of him while retaining Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad, and Umran Malik.
When asked about the spin department by former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen on Saturday on Star Sports, Lara shared his pride at the options at SRH's disposal in the spin department which comprises Washington Sundar, J Suchith and Shreyas Gopal.
"Yes (economy of) 5.5-6 runs per over is great but I think when you have a guy like Washington Sundar spinning the ball into the left-handers in the first six overs, He is an asset. Suchith has come in as his replacement due to injury and he is an asset as well.
"We have gone in with four fast bowlers every single game so far. Of course, the pitches may change, they may have less grass later on. We have Shreyas Gopal as well, though he hasn't had a game so far. He is also someone who has a hat-trick in the IPL. I still think we have a lot in the reserves to show the IPL and I am not too worried," Lara added.
Prior to the IPL mega auction, Rashid was roped in by Gujarat Titans (GT) as one of their three draft picks for the season and named their vice-captain. In seven matches for his new franchise, he has picked eight wickets at an economy rate of 6.50 runs per over.
