Finch shines bright for Sunrisers
Sunrisers Hyderabad opening bat relishes match-winning knock for his new franchise
The sun shone bright at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday noon. They say make hay when the sun shines and the Sunrisers did just that as their batsmen displayed their prowess against the Delhi Daredevils. Shikhar Dhawan got the Sunrisers off to a flier, even as Aaron Finch played second fiddle watching his captain go great guns.
With Dhawan’s departure, the onus was on two big-hitting Australian batsmen, Aaron Finch and David Warner, to take the team to a huge total. That they did as they sliced through the Daredevils bowling line-up with ease. David Warner was slow to start off, but Finch was batting like a man who had struck form. He bludgeoned four sixes and eight boundaries – two of those scoring shots were one-handed. In the end, the 184-run SRH total proved to be enough against the Daredevils, who fell short of the target by five runs.
Finch was proclaimed Man of the Match for his power-packed 88*(53 balls). He was kind enough to spare a few minutes after the match for a quick chat with IPLT20.com.
Excerpts from his interview:
A match-winning knock should keep you and the team high on confidence.
It was very good to get a win under our belt. It is a bit disappointing that it took three games to get our first win, but having said that, we have been determined and positive throughout. T20 is a tough game and we have come up against some good opponents in the previous two games, and it is good to get off the mark.
You have played for three other franchises before the Sunrisers. Is it difficult as a batsman to adjust to different styles of play depending on the franchise?
That’s a difficult question. I take it as a challenge and I like the fact that I am exposed to conditions and situations like these all the time. I think this is my fifth IPL and the amount of time I have spent playing in India has really helped. Obviously, the conditions are totally different from what we have in Australia. Coming into the subcontinent, it does take a bit of time to adjust. There are times when you feel that you are going to go good on a day and you try and make the most of it.
Did you get that feeling of going good today?
Today, I played according to the situation. It is like, if Shikhar gets off to a good start, then I can take a backseat and just knock them around and vice versa. T20 is a tough game and you have to change your game according to the situation.
With scores of 2 and 19 in your previous games, did you think of going after the bowlers from ball-one?
As an opener, your responsibility is to get your team off to a good start. Today, the way Shikhar Dhawan played at the start of the innings was outstanding. He took the bowling on and took a lot of pressure off me. I wanted to bat as deep as I could in the innings and keep looking for the big shots as the game progressed.
You hit a one-handed six; David Warner struck a switch-hit for a six. Your 128-run partnership with him had it all, didn’t it?
(Smiles) David Warner is a very talented player and anyone who can play shots like that is very special. There was a bit of hard work in that middle part with me and Warner in the middle, and that partnership allowed us to cash in at the end of the innings. When you have two batsmen who are set, it gets difficult for the bowlers. We knew it would be tough for a new batsman to score on such a slow wicket. The way that we won today was very impressive.
How has your time with the Sunrisers been thus far?
It is a relaxed franchise and it has been a great experience so far. The management and the senior players are getting along well and there is a lot of help for the junior players. It is a long tournament and you need everyone contributing at some point of the tournament. It is great to be a part of the franchise.
How have your interactions with VVS Laxman been?
It has been great. I speak a lot about my game to VVS Laxman, our coach Tom Moody and Kris Srikkanth. They have been great and have been sharing their knowledge with me and others, which has been so valuable that I believe will helps us become better players.
With Dhawan’s departure, the onus was on two big-hitting Australian batsmen, Aaron Finch and David Warner, to take the team to a huge total. That they did as they sliced through the Daredevils bowling line-up with ease. David Warner was slow to start off, but Finch was batting like a man who had struck form. He bludgeoned four sixes and eight boundaries – two of those scoring shots were one-handed. In the end, the 184-run SRH total proved to be enough against the Daredevils, who fell short of the target by five runs.
Finch was proclaimed Man of the Match for his power-packed 88*(53 balls). He was kind enough to spare a few minutes after the match for a quick chat with IPLT20.com.
Excerpts from his interview:
A match-winning knock should keep you and the team high on confidence.
It was very good to get a win under our belt. It is a bit disappointing that it took three games to get our first win, but having said that, we have been determined and positive throughout. T20 is a tough game and we have come up against some good opponents in the previous two games, and it is good to get off the mark.
You have played for three other franchises before the Sunrisers. Is it difficult as a batsman to adjust to different styles of play depending on the franchise?
That’s a difficult question. I take it as a challenge and I like the fact that I am exposed to conditions and situations like these all the time. I think this is my fifth IPL and the amount of time I have spent playing in India has really helped. Obviously, the conditions are totally different from what we have in Australia. Coming into the subcontinent, it does take a bit of time to adjust. There are times when you feel that you are going to go good on a day and you try and make the most of it.
Did you get that feeling of going good today?
Today, I played according to the situation. It is like, if Shikhar gets off to a good start, then I can take a backseat and just knock them around and vice versa. T20 is a tough game and you have to change your game according to the situation.
With scores of 2 and 19 in your previous games, did you think of going after the bowlers from ball-one?
As an opener, your responsibility is to get your team off to a good start. Today, the way Shikhar Dhawan played at the start of the innings was outstanding. He took the bowling on and took a lot of pressure off me. I wanted to bat as deep as I could in the innings and keep looking for the big shots as the game progressed.
You hit a one-handed six; David Warner struck a switch-hit for a six. Your 128-run partnership with him had it all, didn’t it?
(Smiles) David Warner is a very talented player and anyone who can play shots like that is very special. There was a bit of hard work in that middle part with me and Warner in the middle, and that partnership allowed us to cash in at the end of the innings. When you have two batsmen who are set, it gets difficult for the bowlers. We knew it would be tough for a new batsman to score on such a slow wicket. The way that we won today was very impressive.
How has your time with the Sunrisers been thus far?
It is a relaxed franchise and it has been a great experience so far. The management and the senior players are getting along well and there is a lot of help for the junior players. It is a long tournament and you need everyone contributing at some point of the tournament. It is great to be a part of the franchise.
How have your interactions with VVS Laxman been?
It has been great. I speak a lot about my game to VVS Laxman, our coach Tom Moody and Kris Srikkanth. They have been great and have been sharing their knowledge with me and others, which has been so valuable that I believe will helps us become better players.
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