A three-day break in the Champions League T20 is a luxury.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, having finished its qualifiers on Friday, utilised the break with some serious practice sessions before taking on Trinidad and Tobago in its first Group B encounter at the PCA Stadium here on Tuesday.
The opening pair, Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel, has done extremely well in the qualifiers. Coach Tom Moody feels that his side is ready for the game against Trinidad and Tobago.
Moody said SRH utilised the three days off well. “We feel well-prepared and well-rested. We are looking forward to playing some good cricket throughout this next qualifying stage,” said Moody, at a press conference here on Monday.
The SRH coach agreed that his team, which played the qualifiers at the same venue, has the edge over T&T.
“It is clearly an advantage given that we have had, firstly three competitive games; secondly all on the same surface. So it has given us a chance of playing some competitive cricket under pressure (and) on what has been an excellent cricketing surface.”
Moody said the SRH leg-spinners, Amit Mishra and Karan Sharma, will play a crucial role.
“We have got quality in our spin attack. They were an important part of our IPL campaign and probably one of the main reasons we are here in the Champions League.
“But again, the conditions they bowled in during the IPL are a little bit different to the conditions that we are facing in this tournament.
“There is no doubt they will have an impact, but they will also be challenged because we only have to look at last night’s match and the spinners found it difficult in Ranchi due to the heavy dew. That is not going to be an issue here, I do not think. So we will use them when required,” said Moody.
T&T has also got a sound bowling attack too. Ravi Rampual, who captured four wickets against Heat, spinners Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine can halt the progress of any strong batting line-up.
However, with the inspiring Brian Lara as its mentor, the team will look forward to keep up the good work.
