There was a moth-mafia at the pitch today: Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Gujarat Lions suffered their third back to back loss today after Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated them by 5 wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. It was also the second time in the tournament when the Suresh Raina-led side lost against the SRH. Batting first, The Gujarat Lions side mmanaged126/6 after 20 overs with the help of Aaron Finch’s (51 from 42 balls) anchor innings. In reply, the SRH side also did not have a smooth ride as the Lions pacer reaped the benefits of the wicket to keep the match tight. But, opener Shikhar Dhawan played a slow, sensible 40 balls 47 runs knock to help the home chase down the target with 5 wickets in hand.

The commentators had tough day deciding the man of the match. It was a tough contest between Mustafizur Rahman and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Allan Wilkins said. But the prize was eventually handed to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. “Being a new ball bowler you need to strike early. Picking up wickets up front is the key. I look to swing with the new ball and take wickets. I ate 3 or 4 insects, it actually went down the throat (smiles – Well! There was a moth-mafia at the pitch today). I don’t tell him anything. He is most difficult to pick. I must say he (Mustafizur Rahman) is the one taking off the pressure from me and Ashish Nehra,” Bhuvneshwar Kumar said with a cheeky grin as he receives the Man of the Match award.

David Warner appreciated his team for the good effort and also justified why he dropped catch today. David Warner said: “I wasn’t really tensed towards the end to be honest. We lost a couple of wickets early. That can put a lot of pressure on the rest of the batters, but the way Shikhar went about his innings was brilliant. I don’t think it’s a 120 wicket; I’m pleased with the way our bowlers are going at the moment. I think they can still work on a few more things and same with the bowlers. I certainly misjudged the depth of that catch. Look, we are all humans and we make mistakes. No-one wants to drop a catch. The crowd are fantastic here. They came out and supported us every game. Hope to see them again for the rest of the games.”

Losing skipper Suresh Raina, despite their losing streak, spoke in a positive tone. Suresh Raina said: “We bowled pretty well. To defend that target is not easy but I think credit must go to SRH for restricting us to that total. We fought really hard with the ball. Shikhar took the responsibility and he batted really well. We need to be more positive regarding our batting plan. We cannot afford to lose that many wickets in the first 6 overs. I’m not sure what happened with Finch and I will go and check now (Hope he’s fine). It’s not about losing or winning, it’s about how well we apply ourselves. Bravo bowled really well and hope we will get back to winning ways,” whispers an optimistic Suresh Raina.

Also, Read – IPL 9, Match 34 Review: Bowlers, Dhawan lift SRH to fourth in the points table