"Use a little bit of cricketing sense" - Rohan Gavaskar slams SRH batters following the team's 5-run loss to KKR 

Rohan Gavaskar believes that SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) batters should have approached their run chase in a better way during their IPL 2023 clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday, May 4.

The former Indian cricketer pointed out that Heinrich Klaasen getting out while trying to play an attacking shot was understandable, considering that he looked to be in great form. Gavaskar, however, felt that SRH skipper Aiden Markram, on the other hand, should not have thrown his wicket away at a crucial juncture.

Notably, both Markram and Klaasen set the game up for Hyderabad, scoring 41 and 36 runs, respectively. However, once the two batters were dismissed, the team choked and ultimately suffered a five-run loss while chasing a 172-run target.

Speaking to Cricbuzz following the encounter, Gavaskar explained:

"You have got to take responsibility and use a little bit of cricketing sense. Heinrich Klaasen, I can understand, because he was striking it well. Sometimes as a batter, when are in the zone, you have got that extra confidence.

"Aiden Markram though, if you are going at run-a-ball, then you've got to see it through. When Markram got out, the run rate wasn't that high that he had to be more aggressive than he normally is."

Rohan Gavaskar further reckoned noted that Abdul Samad was under tremendous pressure, given that there weren't any other recognized batters after him. The youngster failed to steer his side to victory, managing 21 runs off 18 balls before perishing to Varun Chakravarthy in the final over.

Gavaskar added:

"Abdul Samad came in to bat at a slightly tougher time when you've lost wickets and are thinking, 'If I get out here, who is coming in to bat?' If he did this when they were three or four wickets down, then it is a different story. If you are coming to bat at the number that he did, knowing that if he got out the game was done and dusted, it adds a little more pressure on you and you want to take it deep."

Hyderabad needed nine runs in the final over. Samad was dismissed on the third ball after being caught at the deep mid-wicket fence, which ended their hope of taking the game home.

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"I think they are done" - Rohan Gavaskar on SRH's chances of qualifying for the IPL 2023 playoffs

Rohan Gavaskar further stated that SRH are unlikely to finish in the top four after the league stage. He pointed out that Aiden Markram and Co. have an imposing challenge ahead, as they will have to battle it out against top teams in their remaining games.

The cricketer-turned-commentator reckons the Hyderabad batters will be low on confidence, which could hamper their chances. He elaborated:

"I think they [SRH] are done. You look at those five teams they are playing, that's probably the top five. You look at where they are playing Mumbai away, Bangalore home and Rajasthan away. Their record at home isn't good.

"You look at the batting lineups of Rajasthan, Mumbai and Gujarat and compared to the batting lineup of Hyderabad. Their confidence will be very brittle. But the confidence of the other batting lineups will be high."

SRH have won just three of their nine matches so far and are languishing in the penultimate spot in the points table. They will next take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday, May 7.