Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to field first against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai. Williamson did not tinker with the winning combination. They won their first match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to rise from the bottom of the points table.
“There is a potential dew factor, and we'll look to chase it in the end. We saw improvement in the second match and then in the third, and hopefully we can improve further over here. We have to be adaptable, playing at the different grounds and we need to adjust,” Williamson said after winning the toss.
Similarly, Hardik Pandya did not make any changes to his side either. Titans are unbeaten in the tournament so far with three consecutive wins.
“We would have bowled as well because of the dew. We are playing for the first time over here. It's always good to win, but for us processes are more important. We got the results because we followed our plans. We need to show that we are out there to fight. Tewatia is right up there right now. It shows a lot of courage and character to do the same things day in and day out. Very happy for him and for the team as well,” Hardik said.
GT Playing XI: Matthew Wade(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Abhinav Manohar, Rashid Khan, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Darshan Nalkande
SRH Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson(c), Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran(w), Aiden Markram, Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan
“We sometimes get into a zone where we plan what to do in red ball and white ball cricket. But my last two seasons have been good and I just look to hit the lengths where I get movement. I also look to get swing with the new ball,” Titans fast-bowling spearhead Mohammed Shami said before the match.
“The team environment has been very good. The boys come from different cultures and it becomes important to create a good culture for a new franchise. Ashish Nehra jokes even during tough times and that helps as well. My role is to use the new ball well. When you have so many options in the team, you need to go for wickets upfront,” Shami added.
