"Travis Head struggled his way through to a half-century" - Aakash Chopra on SRH's batting in IPL 2024 win vs RR

Aakash Chopra has noted that SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Travis Head played a slightly painstaking knock in his side's IPL 2024 win against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

Head scored a 44-ball 58 as SRH set RR a 202-run target in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 2. Pat Cummins and company then eked out a one-run win to climb into fourth position on the points table.

Reflecting on SRH's batting in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that Head wasn't his usual destructive self.

"Hyderabad were able to score only 37 runs in the first six overs. Travis Head wasn't able to hit much. A catch was dropped off the first ball. Riyan Parag dropped Phil Salt one day and here he dropped Travis Head's catch. Abhishek Sharma got out as soon as Avesh (Khan) came," he said (1:05).

"It seemed like it would be enough if they scored 160-170. However, the hitting started after that. Travis Head struggled his way through to a half-century. He batted out of character but it was the need of the hour to bat like that because when you were watching the match, it seemed like batting was tough," the former India opener added.

Head struck six fours and three sixes during his 58-run knock. He played second fiddle to Nitish Kumar Reddy in their 96-run third-wicket partnership.

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"He came slightly out of syllabus" - Aakash Chopra on SRH's Nitish Kumar Reddy

Nitish Kumar Reddy smashed an unbeaten 76 off 42 balls. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra praised Nitish Kumar Reddy for giving the much-needed impetus to the SunRisers Hyderabad innings.

"When Nitish Kumar Reddy came, he also started very slowly. However, then he changed gears and showed that he is a special player. He came slightly out of syllabus. It seemed like the Rajasthan Royals weren't prepared. Nitish Kumar Reddy's six-hitting ability is special, whether it is over cover or midwicket," he said (1:55).

The cricketer-turned-commentator also appreciated Heinrich Klaasen for showcasing his destructive ability even on a slightly slow pitch.

"Since it's getting hotter and the pitches are getting slower, the Indian batters might be able to negotiate spin better than the overseas ones. However, as soon as I said that, I remembered Klaasen. He said he will show it by doing it. He was hitting sixes from the first ball. If he had played 29 balls instead of 19, he might have taken the score to 240," Chopra elaborated.

Klaasen remained unbeaten on a 19-ball 42. The SRH wicketkeeper-batter and Reddy stitched together an unbroken 70-run fourth-wicket partnership in just 5.2 overs to take their team beyond the 200-run mark.