“I genuinely believe Harry Brook will be one of the biggest names in world cricket” - SRH batting coach Hemang Badani

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batting coach Hemang Badani has backed struggling overseas batter Harry Brook after he registered yet another failure on Saturday, April 29. Making big predictions about the cricketer, he said that Brook will be one of the biggest names in world cricket.

Brook, 24, has played eight matches for SRH in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition. He has managed only 163 runs at an average of 23.29 and a strike rate of 125.38.

The England batter slammed an unbeaten 100 off 55 balls against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, he has failed to make an impact in the other games. On Saturday, he fell to Mitchell Marsh for a duck.

Apart from Brook, experienced batter Rahul Tripathi has also failed to deliver. He has totaled 170 runs at an average of 24.29 and a strike rate of 114.86 with one half-century.

Asked about the batting woes of the duo at a post-match press conference, Badani said:

“It’s a question of momentum; it’s about getting back into touch. I’m a firm believer that it’s a question of one knock in the middle then it falls back into the picture.” He added, “I genuinely believe Harry Brook will be one of the biggest names in world cricket.”

SRH opener Mayank Agarwal too has failed to make a big impact in IPL 2023. The 32-year-old has got a few starts but has registered a highest score of 49 from eight games.

Speaking about Agarwal, Badani said:

“You have to give them enough ideas and strategies on a given surface against a given attack, what are your options, what shots can you play, what’s the expected role of you. Mayank has been there for many years. He’s led Punjab. Somebody of his stature, he just needs a bi of nudging here and there, fine tuning and it’s a question of time. He’s not out of touch, he’s a serious player.”

Agarwal has notched up 169 runs at an average of 21.13 and a strike rate of 110.46.

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“I liked the intent” - SRH batting coach

Despite the failures of Brook, Tripathi, and Agarwal, SRH managed to beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by nine runs on Saturday. Abhishek Sharma (67 off 36) and Heinrich Klaasen (53* off 27) played fine knocks as Hyderabad posted 197/6 and then held Delhi to 188/6.

Reflecting on the win, Badani asserted:

“I liked the intent we had. I think probably just for the second time in the entire season we’ve got about 60 on the board in the powerplay. I’m pretty pleased with the target that we put on the board. If you look at other teams as well, if a team posts a good target, not all of their five batters score runs. It’s always two or three batters standing up.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad will next take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 4.