Kolkata:
Aggression doesn’t follow a universal formula. Just ask Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who, even without altering their strategy, dropped to 120 runs after appearing ready to surpass the 300-run mark within just three matches. On the flip side, consider the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Despite suffering a heavy loss in Mumbai, they demonstrated tactical acumen to score at a steady rate and reach 200 runs. Importantly, KKR has rediscovered this determination as a unit and across different players, particularly by taking greater accountability during their batting sessions. This shift highlights a stark contrast between these two sides.
It goes beyond first impressions, certainly. The recent pattern shows that both Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have faced dismissal at an early stage against KKR bowlers for three consecutive games. This development begins to challenge the previously effective \”see-ball-hit-ball\” approach. As expected, these players continue to receive support nonetheless.
I believe you need to stay grounded,\” stated Sunrisers captain Pat Cummins during the post-match presentation on Thursday. \”We\’ve had three consecutive matches without success, yet just under two weeks back, we managed to score 280 runs. Therefore, considering alternatives is essential. In my view, our batsmen perform optimally when they take control of the game. However, naturally, one must question whether different choices could have been made in those scenarios.
Everything worked perfectly when the conditions aligned with this strategy. However, it completely backfired at Eden Gardens where reducing the speed of the ball exacerbated the impact of the sluggish pitch on the batsmen. This affected both teams, though KKR managed to learn from their mistakes and adjust accordingly. For instance, Venkatesh Iyer initially scored only two boundaries in his first 17 deliveries. He then went on to hit an additional eight boundaries in the following 12 balls. Similarly, Rinku Singh’s performance mirrored this pattern.
“A basic but very important meaning of aggression is to show positive but correct intent when we play cricket,” said Iyer when asked about his batting approach. “If we are 50 for six and I still go and tonk everything, that’s positive but not correct. If we are to call ourselves smart cricketers, it’s very important to read any situation and then react accordingly. Aggression does not mean hitting every ball for a maximum. It’s about how you understand the conditions and can maximise the conditions in your favour.”
Much of the foundation was laid by Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, contributing 81 runs off 51 deliveries and crucially preparing the approaching batsmen for the conditions. \”The insights they shared during the break helped us realize that this isn’t a surface where you can simply walk up and start hitting,\” explained Iyer.
So it was crucial for us not to rush into hitting a few sixes, but rather take the time to comprehend what the wicket offers. This approach works well because we have Rinku, Ramandeep, and Andre Russell at the back end of our innings. If I need to skip a couple of deliveries, I am confident knowing that as long as I manage to hold up my part, our core players can dismantle any bowling strategy. Therefore, the strategy was to initially assess the pitch before adapting our response.
Could Sunrisers have adopted the same approach? Ideally. Such is the format though that there seems no other way to chase 200 but to go bang-bang from the first over. But it’s easier to implement on a pitch where batters can hit through the line, not one where the ball keeps holding up. Sunrisers never looked to factor in that hindrance. Which is why Head lasted two balls, Sharma six. And unlike Ishan Kishan, neither got out to shots where they had timed the ball sweetly. They will still treat this failure as one-off. That’s the thing about blinkered aggression—you just need one scintillating performance to justify multiple failures.
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