Vettori praises SRH’s youthful spin attack

With a Pat Cummins-shaped elephant in the room every time one sits down to dissect a Sunrisers Hyderabad performance, head coach Daniel Vettori has found comfort in how the team has responded in the absence of the regular skipper.

“It was very satisfying in those conditions because we know Eden Gardens is a difficult place to defend, much like here,” Vettori said about the emphatic win over Kolkata Knight Riders.

The former Kiwi captain hailed his youthful spin attack on the eve of the match against Lucknow Super Giants. He was all praise for left-arm tweaker Harsh Dubey and left-arm wrist-spinner Shivang Kumar.

“We identified Harsh last year, and he’s grown as a bowler with consistent success. Shivang was tracked closely by our scouting group, along with Krains (Fuletra) and Zeeshan Ansari. We’ve put a lot of emphasis on improving that group because spin is tough here, not just for us, but for opposition as well. It’s rare for a spinner to dominate, so having a left-arm wrist-spinner gives us a valuable option.”

Vettori confirmed that a final scan on April 15 will determine the timeline of Cummins’ return, who has flown back home for the same. He also lauded Jaydev Unadkat for stepping up.

“Like Pat, he can bowl at all stages, which is crucial when scoring rates are high. Even if he doesn’t start well, we trust him in the middle and at the death. With Pat unavailable, you can see Ishan (Kishan) using him in different roles.”

Beyond his on-field utility, Unadkat’s years around the Indian set-up have also proven useful.

“He’s someone you can always talk cricket with. He understands the domestic circuit deeply, and we rely on his insights into players the coaching staff may not have seen much of,” added Vettori.