Williamson can definitely fill Warner’s big shoes for SunRisers: Moody

HYDERABAD : Kane Williamson is one of the most respected batsmen in world cricket at the moment. Still only 27, the Kiwi skipper’s name is taken in a similar breath as that two other captains in their twenties: Virat Kohli and Joe Root.Despite all of that, he broke into the SunRisers Hyderabad playing XI only seven times last year. Times have changed for Williamson as he will be at the helm of their affairs this season, courtesy the ball-tampering scandal, which saw first-choice skipper David Warner get a one-year ban from Cricket Australia. 

Both players appear quite different, in terms of captaincy and batting. In an exclusive chat with Express, SunRisers coach Tom Moody emphasised that “body language” of a player has little to do with captaincy skills.“There is a big difference between being aggressive as a captain and body-language aggression. A player who shows less emotions might be aggressive as a captain. Captaincy has little to do with body language.” 

While Warner has scored heavily for SunRisers, Williamson has played just 15 games for them. The right-hander had a good run last season, notching up 256 runs at an average and strike-rate of 42.66 and 151.47.When queried about the likely man for Warner’s former opening slot, Moody hinted that Williamson might be the one. “I do not think it is a case of replacing Warner. Kane has taken over the captaincy and with that he will also take over the the position at the top. Whether or not he opens will be decided when we get a lot more closer to the kick-off day.” 

Asked whether Warner’s absence has affected the morale of the team, Moody replied nonchalantly: “Not really. He could have missed the IPL for a number of reasons. He could have gotten injured. Who says no one can play the way he did? The new players might not score with a strike rate of 150, but contributions can still be made. Any other player can walk in and do equally good. It is a team game, so we cannot depend too much on one player.”

Though the team has undergone a decent bit of overhauling at the auctions, there are still quite a few regular names on their roster. “We are very keen to maintain our strong identity. We have achieved success with the same boys. So, it is about keeping them in the group.”The fact that Alex Hales has been called up to the squad also says that the management was looking to bring in an impact player. “We looked at a couple of players. We wanted an impact player at the top. Being a right-hander, he also gives us that option of left-right combination.”
vishal@newindianexpress.com