IPL 2018 | We will come back strong and assess our weakness, says Shreevats Goswami

SportsCafe Desk
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After Sunrisers Hyderabad’s third consecutive loss in the IPL 2018, Shreevats Goswami asserted that they would assess their weaknesses and would make a solid comeback in the playoffs. Goswami insisted that momentum doesn’t play a role in knockouts and is only useful in the league phase.

With a convincing win over Delhi Daredevils, Sunrisers Hyderabad became the first team to qualify for the IPL 2018 playoffs on May 10. However, they haven’t quite been in best of the forms since making it to the playoffs. SRH slumped to their third consecutive defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in their last league match on Saturday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Regardless of the loss, SRH would qualify as one of the top two teams in the knockouts.  

Wicket-keeper Shreevats Goswami, who made a 26-ball 35 against KKR at the top, stated that the advantages of momentum are limited to the league phase only and would not play a major role in the qualifiers. He insisted that the losses would work in their favour and they would assess their weaknesses and would come back stronger.   

“Momentum does not come to play in the qualifier. Every team will come prepared for the play-off stage. Right now, because we have lost three games, we are more aware of our game and the situation. We will come back strong and assess our weakness,” Goswami said as quoted by Hindustan Times after the five-wicket loss to KKR.

“In the qualifier, it will be a different ground and a different opposition. Yes, Chennai (the other top-two team) have beaten us twice but the Qualifier is just one game one of them. Momentum is important during league phase, but when it comes to qualifier it’s about how we perform on that particular day.”

SRH has a potent bowling attack which could destroy any opposition on their day. They have proved their worthiness by defending low totals like 118 in the league stage. But on Saturday, SRH could not defend 172 at home against KKR. Goswami stated that low totals cannot be defended every time and felt that teams have worked out strategies against their bowlers and they have come better prepared against them. 

“This was the 14th game. Obviously teams are analyzing our videos and are making plans to counter our bowlers. Every day low totals can’t be defended. They are finding ways to be effective against our spinners Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan and the other bowlers. Teams have come better prepared against us,” Goswami said.

Goswami helped SRH get off to a decent start by stitching up a 79-run opening stand with Shikhar Dhawan, who scored his fourth half-century. Kane Williamson hit a quick-fire 17-ball 36 but rest of the SRH batsmen failed to contribute. Goswami felt SRH were 15 to 20 runs short.

“We got a good opening stand and then once Kane Williamson was out, the runs dried. We got only 30 odd runs in the last five overs. We were probably 15 to 20 runs short. The Hyderabad pitch has been tricky this whole season and today was the best we got. But we did not go for big shots in the middle. The spinners also did not get enough turn at the end and it batting became easier,” Goswami said.

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