NEWS
Follow UsPunjab Kings’ (PBKS) assistant coach Brad Haddin admitted ahead of his side’s clash against Gujarat Titans (GT) that the franchise would want to give Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma ‘more time’ to influence games, but asserted that, at the same time, the team will need be wary of not overburdening the two uncapped batters.
It’s not often that two lower-order batters top the run-scoring charts for an IPL team, but that’s precisely what’s happened for the Kings this year, with 32-year-old Shashank and 25-year-old Ashutosh, both finishers by designation, doing both the run-scoring and boundary-hitting all by themselves. The pair helped PBKS pull off a miraculous win against Gujarat Titans and almost helped them steal clashes against both Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI).
Ahead of Punjab’s reverse fixture against the Titans, Haddin was full of praise for the duo.
“The way they (Shashank and Ashutosh) have been performing, we want to give them more time on the pitch. At the same time, we don't want to burden them. They are still new in this craft. They played some extraordinary knocks under pressure,” Haddin said at the pre-match press conference on April 20 (Saturday).
Halfway into the season, six of PBKS’ seven games have remarkably gone to the very final over. And they’ve somehow managed to find a way to lose all but two of the said clashes.
Haddin asserted that his side will have to find a way to get these close games go their way.
“We have got to find a way to get a result in this game. The last three games were very close, we had moments when we were out and then got ourselves back in it, and the result could have gone both ways,” the PBKS assistant coach said.
Haddin claimed that it’s high time that Punjab’s top-order batters come to the party and support their ‘outstanding’ bowling unit.
“We have got to find a way to get a result in this game. The last three games were very close, we had moments when we were out and then got ourselves back in it, and the result could have gone both ways.”
The Kings have been without their skipper Shikhar Dhawan for each of the last two matches due to injury after the left-hander sustained an injury during PBKS’ clash against SRH.
Haddin said that Dhawan’s been a ‘big miss’, but attested that the skipper is recovering well. The assistant coach said that there’s a slim chance that the left-hander could be fit for Sunday’s clash.
"It's difficult to replace someone like Shikhar. He's one of the most successful openers in the IPL. He has done it for many years and was starting to get his rhythm back before the unfortunate injury to his shoulder,” Haddin said.
“We would like him back as soon as we can. He is an experienced head at the top of the order, so we're hoping that he is available for selection soon. He has started to progress well. We have seen some good signs over the last couple of days. We will decide on Sunday morning.”
