Aaron Finch says "sometimes you just have to take your hat off and appreciate how good cricketers the two are. And say well played."
Gujarat Lions batsman Aaron Finch says he and his team-mates can only
appreciate and laud the match-winning knock of David Warner, who
single-handedly crushed their hopes and took Sunrisers Hyderabad to the
IPL summit clash with his 93 in the IPL Qualifier 2.
In the Qualifier 1, Lions were inches away from the final but for a gritty knock from AB de Villiers.
After scoring 162 for seven, Lions had Hyderabad 84 for five and then
117 for six but skipper Warner carried his bat and saw his side through.
“Tonight, I think that we had a very competitive total, it was around
par. 170 would have been nice as it turns out, but two [de Villiers and
Warner] of the best players in the world have both got big scores
against us in the last two games. Sometimes you just have to take your
hat off and appreciate how good cricketers the two are. And say well
played,” Finch said at the post match press conference.
The Australian was effusive in praise of his compatriot.
“It was an amazing knock, wasn’t it? The way that he controlled the
innings and went right through and got them home was outstanding. We
have been at the receiving end of a couple of great knocks in this
tournament, and it is just that one batter in every couple of games
seems to get us.”
Asked which Indian player impressed him the most in the entire Lions
campaign in their debut season, Finch named spinner Shivil Kaushik. “I
think we have seen an unusual spinner in this tournament in Shivil. He
has been outstanding for us. Anyone who can bowl with an unusual action
like that and who can spin the ball both ways is a huge asset, and he
has been outstanding,” Finch said.
The attacking batsman also mentioned Kaushik’s impact spell in last
night’s match, where he gave away only four runs in two overs and
eventually 22 in four. His tight bowling in the middle overs put
pressure on Hyderabad batsmen, keeping his side in the hunt.
“It was beautiful the way that he bowled tonight. Under pressure in a
big game, to come back into the team after a few games out just shows a
real lot of character and someone who hasn’t had cricket given to him
easily. He has had to work very hard for what he has achieved. He was
great all season and I think he can play a big part going forward,” he
said.
Asked what positives Lions would take away from their debut season as
they finished on top of the table at the end of league stage, Finch said
the fighting spirit of the team.
“I think the way we played throughout the tournament was fantastic from
the team’s point of view. To finish top of the table for a franchise in
their first year was fantastic. I think it’s obviously disappointing
that we couldn’t get through to the final.”
GL 162/7 (20.0 Ovs)
SRH 163/6 (19.2 Ovs)
Sunrisers Hyderabad won by 4 wkts
No comments:
Post a Comment