Expectations will be very high on us: SRH bowling coach Muralitharan

Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Ishan Kishan at a practice session ahead of the team’s IPL match against Delhi Capitals in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK

Sunrisers Hyderabad made the 600-plus km journey to take on Delhi Capitals in Visakhapatnam, the second ‘home’ for its opponent. However, Muttiah Muralitharan, SRH’s spin bowling coach and mentor, isn’t seeing it as an ‘away’ contest.

“I think there will be more support for us. Even though they are the home team here, I think Hyderabad will get more support. It looks like it’s a home game for us and expectations will be very high,” he said.

The Sri Lankan believes teams will have to negotiate a slower pitch for the afternoon fixture on Sunday, with some aid for the spinners. That said, he doesn’t rule out another high-scoring encounter.

“I have played here before. It is a relatively small ground and a little on the slower side, a little spin will be there. But nobody in the world can say before a match what the pitch is going to do,” he said.

“Even though there was turn in the last match here, the scores were more than 200. That means the batsmen are capable enough, whether it turns or not.”

While brushing aside the pressure of breaking the 300-run mark on SRH, Muralitharan admitted that anything is possible in cricket.

“The press has made 300 a target (for us), but we have closely achieved it, 286, 287. You never know if it will happen. Two batters have to score big and get it there. Nothing is impossible in cricket,” he said.