Manish Pandey slammed 62 runs in 38 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore. (Source: BCCI)
After suffering a 14-run defeat at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday, Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Manish Pandey, who scored 62 runs in 38 balls, said that his side gave away too many runs in the death overs. Speaking to reporters at the press conference after the match, the 27-year old said that the 20 extra runs conceded by the bowlers in the final few overs cost Hyderabad the match.
“Overall 215-220 was a lot on this wicket. We gave away about 70 runs in the last five overs. Colin de Grandhomme played well, Sarfraz Khan got quick runs… we should have given them only 190-200, that’s what our plan was but such games do happen. It was a nice wicket but we should work as a bowling team together,” the middle-order batsman said.
After SRH won the toss and elected to bowl first, the 105-run partnership between AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali, who both scored fifties each, and a hammering late down the order by Colin de Grandhomme and Sarfraz Khan took RCB’s total to 218 runs in 20 overs. Seamer Basil Thampi, who was smashed for 70 runs in his 4 overs, created the unfortunate IPL record for most runs conceded in an innings by a bowler. In spite of yet another brilliant knock by SRH skipper Kane Williamson, who scored 81 runs in 42 balls, and Pandey’s fifty, SRH failed to chase down the target in 20 overs and suffered their second consecutive defeat in a row.
Speaking on the run chase, Pandey praised the bowling effort of the opposition in the death overs. “Mohammed Siraj bowled really well to get those yorkers right on the spot. Probably if I would have connected a couple, we would have come close but they bowled better in the last five overs than us. That was the difference,” he said.
Speaking about his own innings, Pandey, who struck seven fours and two sixes, said that it was a “special knock” for him. “Yes definitely (it was a good knock). Me and everybody had been waiting for this. Special knock I thought. Bangalore is pretty close to me, this was one of the chances where I thought that if I get to bat with balls in hand… I was preparing myself play accordingly and opened up,” the right-handed batsman said.
The Karnataka batsman further added that he wishes to perform at the end of the season to help his side. “It was quite okay for me till now, not as much as what I expected but it is high time. We have qualified but waiting for the right time and even if I peak now trying to win games for my team I will be really happy by the end of the season,” he said.
Pandey further praised his skipper and said that Williamson has a great understanding of the game. “(He has done) very well. He has got about 600 runs this IPL already. He has been batting really well. Captaincy… he has been using the bowlers really well. He is understanding the culture of the team and how to bring in our main spinners like Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan. They have been taking wickets for us and are real assets. To control the game from there and the way the bowlers are responding, he has been fantastic till now and we hope he continues (in the same manner) till the end,” he said.
The loss did nothing to Sunrisers Hyderabad’s standings in the table as they remained on the pole position with 18 points.