In New Delhi, April 7 Former Proteas batter Henrich Klaasen believes that the Sunrisers Hyderabad are still in the early stages of the tournament and is confident that the 2016 IPL champions will perform well in all departments going forward after two losses in their first three games.
SRH lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 6 wickets in their opener and then were defeated by 5 wickets by Lucknow Super Giants in their last game. Their only win – a 65-run victory – came against Kolkata Knight Riders.
"Our batting has been good so far, but we missed out on about 40 runs in 3 games. We need to bat better. The two games where we struggled, we didn't execute well. The bowlers, especially the fast bowlers, have been fantastic. We need to reach the 220-230 mark to give our bowlers a chance to defend," Klaasen told JioStar Press Room.
"Our fielding has been poor, and that's affecting us. I would give us 6 out of 10 so far. We had some brilliant phases of play, but we lost out in crucial moments.
"The bowlers are performing according to plan, and the rest of the batting is doing well. I would give it an 80 percent rating. But our fielding needs to improve, and we need to hold onto our catches. If we aim for 8-9 in the rating, we need to build momentum and put all three departments together," he added.
Klaasen, who retired from all forms of international cricket last year and now only plays franchise cricket, scored consecutive fifties for SRH in their last two games, and is pleased with his form.
"Unfortunately, we lost two games, but on a personal level, it was a good start for me, especially since I haven't been playing much cricket lately. I would like to continue this form," he said.
He is also enjoying his role and responsibilities in the No. 4 position.
"This is a role that I have played throughout my career. In this role, you need to adapt to the situation. My role in the team is to keep going, even if Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, and Travis Head are batting well. My role changes with every game," he said.
SRH will next play Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh on Saturday.
Missing Cummins, but Kishan has been fantastic
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Klaasen acknowledged that SRH is missing Pat Cummins, who has left the camp to return home for a scheduled scan on his injured back. He is expected to rejoin around April 17 if cleared by Cricket Australia. In Cummins' absence, Ishan Kishan is leading the side.
"Pat is a big loss, as he has a lot of experience. But Ishan is doing a great job. I don't think it's a major concern.
"He (Kishan) has been superb so far, and he asks for advice. His decision-making and bowling changes have been very good. He's not arrogant, which makes it easier. I have enjoyed playing under his captaincy.
MSD's absence doesn't make much of a difference for CSK
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Klaasen said that Chennai Super Kings are feeling the absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni from the leadership front, but not much in terms of batting.
Dhoni, who is probably playing his last IPL, has yet to feature for CSK in the tournament as he is recovering from a calf strain.
SRH will take on CSK at home on April 18, before travelling to Chennai for the return leg on May 18.
"CSK has an incredible IPL record. Even without Dhoni, they are still a strong team. They are a very strong side. It's not going to be an easy game. They are always a good, challenging side.
"Dhoni not being there doesn't really make much of a difference. It's more about the other players. With Dhoni not being there, I think the crowd will be a little quieter. I don't think his absence will have such a big impact, except for his leadership. He has been coming to bat for just 5-10 balls in the last few years," he said.
CSK has a good batting line-up, and one needs to put in a few more dot balls, Klaasen said.
"Shivam Dubey is in good form, and their two openers, Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad, are also fantastic. We just need to squeeze them a bit more," he said.
Coming out to bat in the middle, the 34-year-old South African said he relishes the challenge against spinners.
"Obviously, I played a lot of four-day cricket and played a lot against spinners. I am used to playing against balls that turn away.
"I have been coming to India for the past 5-6 years and have experience of playing spin. I have also played in Sri Lanka in the initial stages of my career. I am very blessed to have the skill-set of playing against spin, but it is still a big challenge as they (spinners) are coming for me and I am going after them," he said.
