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Despite the three wins on a trot, Sunrisers Hyderabad wouldn't be pleased with the way the season has panned out so far and the threats that stand looming large. David Warner is out, the middle order isn't firing, there are injury concerns for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shikhar Dhawan, and opposition batsmen seem to have figured out Rashid Khan a bit better. Two wins in the last two games are the early signs of the bigger threat. And amidst the boiling worries, sits the calm presence of their skipper Kane Williamson.
Courtesy the way things conspired, in the 2018 season, he is the sole foreigner to lead an IPL franchise. "It is what it is due to a number of different circumstances and here I am talking to you guys," he says.
It's not the first time he is leading a team. But much like how he had fill in the successful shoes of Brendon McCullum while taking over the job for New Zealand, it is quite a similar case at Sunrisers Hyderabad, where under David Warner they had become one of the strongest outfits in IPL. It isn't only about the pressure of maintaining success, but also the manner in which they professed playing the game. Williamson displays far lesser aggression than his predecessors had; and as different is the brand of his captaincy. Emotions aren't overflowing either. Even as he says it is important to stay in control, he admits that there are times when emotions get the better of the players.
"It's definitely a challenge when the games get close," he said on Monday (April 23). "The responsibility of a captain or a leader at that time (is to figure out) what works next, to try and remind ourselves how can we best offer ourselves to others around us than get too caught up in the emotion. It's certainly a challenge and it gets the better of all of us at certain times."
In only two weeks of the tournament, the IPL has offered Williamson a roller-coaster ride of results. Three consecutive wins later, Sunrisers Hyderabad have faced two defeats. A string of injuries and poor form of important players has left them further depleted after the absence of Warner. "That's T20 cricket. From our perspective, it's important to not be too reactive, to focus on our plans, go back to those," he said. "We know that when we're achieving those plans and building towards those, we're giving our best chance to win games. Sometimes you lose some. You want to win more, perhaps go back to the base level. When we stick to those plans, we know we're giving ourselves the best chance."
The most worrying aspect, however, has been the way Rashid was carted in the last two games - by RCB and CSK's batters. Nonetheless, his skipper believes, it will prove to be a good learning experience for the young leggie. "Rashid's a world-class bowler. T20 cricket doesn't make anyone exempt from coming under pressure. Anyone can be hit. He has learnt a huge amount in such a short span of time. He has played a lot of cricket. In the last couple of games there have been a couple of special knocks, where people have played him really well. He is a special bowler and he will bounce back well."
Nonetheless, the captain himself has been in a good form and led from the front. Even though he may not have filled in Warner's void with the bat, he has carried the team's batting well so far. He has stroked three consecutive fifties in the last three games - two of which came in losing causes. Even when he is scoring at a quick rate, he rarely gives the impression of ripping the bowling apart. He drives, punches and lofts more than bludgeon. As he says, that isn't his style. "I'm always trying to adopt the best that I can to the conditions, to the situations. And that's what I try to do, and not try to hit the ball like Gayle or de Villiers. I play the best way that I can."
SRH are up against Mumbai Indians next. The last time the two sides faced off less than two weeks ago, the former had managed to seal a win off the last ball of the game. Rashid didn't pick a wicket but was awarded the Man of the Match for his economical spell. But on Tuesday, the challenge will be far more for Sunrisers. Not only will they be facing MI at Wankhede Stadium but also with a depleted side. Moreover, with less than 48 hours between the two games and travelling to go with it, Williamson asserted the importance of keeping the players fresh. "Recovery is very important when you're playing a night game and then travelling to another venue to play a game a day later. That is a challenge that players playing T20 cricket are reasonably familiar with. And it's only at certain times where they have a busy schedule. For us, it is at the moment and recovery is very important when we go in to the next game."
Even as teams such as Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils maybe languishing at the bottom of the table with only one win to show for, the SRH skipper believes the tournament is still wide open and makes for an exciting finish in the league stage. "It's an extremely strong competition, it is every year," he said. "This year, every team is very well balanced. Every game is a tough game, there are a few close finishes as we have seen, which makes for very excited viewing. You just want to be on the right side of the results in those games.
"For us, yesterday, that wasn't to be. It was a brilliant competition at the moment, beating each other. Chennai might be at the top of the table, but no team is unbeaten. It makes for an exciting scene for all the teams going into the middle and back half of the table," he concluded.
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