Teams which won the trophy are those which have won most of their last games, says Shakib Al Hasan
All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has backed Sunrisers Hyderabad to go all the way this season if they do well in the final stage of the tournament which is a tough challenge for the squad. Shakib has also praised coach Tom Moody and bowling chief Muttiah Muralitharan for helping him improve his game.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan was a mainstay in the Kolkata Knight Riders team over the last few seasons of the IPL, but after the latter chose to let Shakib depart for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the auction held in January, the left-handed batsman has settled in quite quickly. Under the guidance of replacement skipper Kane Williamson, the Sunrisers have looked a formidable team and are third in the IPL rankings after four games.
And Shakib, who has been a part of the IPL for quite some time now, reminded the crowd after their loss to Kings XI Punjab that teams who have dominated in the latter stages of the tournament generally end up lifting the IPL trophy.
“The teams which won the trophy so far are those which have most of their last games. Those games are important for that is when the players tend to get tired, face fatigue and other factors. They should be mentally and physically much
Shakib pointed out that even in the loss against KXIP, the team scored about 180 despite the absence of opener Shikhar Dhawan who retired hurt after an injury to his elbow early on in the second innings.
“I don’t think batting is a concern for us. If we bat well and back up our very good bowling attack, we are a very difficult side to beat,” he added.
After an impressive performance by the SRH bowlers till now, Shakib credited coach Tom Moody and Sri Lankan legend and SRH bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan for helping the team settle in quickly.
“We are hoping to improve our skills and I am pleased with the way the head coach Tom Moody and bowling coach Murali have been backing me and helping me a lot,” Shakib added.