IPL 2020 | Kane Williamson is like Rahul Dravid of old times, can adjust to any role, claims Aakash Chopra
Cricketer-turned-analyst Aakash Chopra has applauded SRH batsman Kane Williamson and compared him to Indian legend Rahul Dravid for the adaptability he showed against DC. Chopra stated that Kane is a batsman full of pedigree and he can nail whatever role he is assigned by the team.
After sitting out of the team for the first two games, Kane Williamson was slotted at no.4 for SRH against Delhi Capitals on September 29 and he made the full use of the opportunity to make a brilliant 26-ball-41. It helped Hyderabad post a respectable total of 162 runs on the board that ultimately proved to be a winning score as DC failed to emerge victorious, losing the game by 15 runs, in what Shreyar Iyer termed as a two-paced wicket.
Cricket pundit Aakash Chopra praised the Kiwi skipper and stated that Kane is a batsman full of pedigree and the way he adapted his game reminded him of a certain Rahul Dravid, who had once demoted himself in the batting order and donned the role of a finisher, much to everyone's surprise.
"With Kane Williamson, you put him at 4, you put him at 5, and he can actually adjust to whatever role he's given like Rahul Dravid of old, where he demoted himself in the batting order and donned the role of finisher. All of us believed that this is one job Rahul isn't cut for but he did really well. Players with pedigree like Kane, find ways to score runs. Being technically compact also helps big time," Aakash Chopra told Espn Cricinfo.
"To be fair, he didn't hit sixes, as that's not his strength but he did maximize his scoring by finding gaps in the ground and hitting fours with great placement. He did a great job every time short ball was used against him, got five fours and is valuable addition to this team and with this line up he should be playing every game."
Not only Chopra, but former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar also heaped praise on the veteran batsman as he felt on a difficult wicket, he did a job that even specialist T20 batsmen might have failed to do.
"Kane has adapted so well to T20 cricket and he is a class act, got a hundred against India on Test debut. He's in fab four and is a wonderful player in 50-overs format but never a regular pick in the shortest format. But making a return on a difficult pitch, he adapted so well on a wicket where even T20 regulars would have struggled," Manjrekar said.
This was the first loss that Shreyas Iyer's suffered in the 2020 IPL after winning their first two games while SRH finally won a game this season after losing their first two games.