‘He is the next guy after Jasprit Bumrah’: Sanju Samson on Sandeep Sharma’s death bowling

Rajasthan Royals pacer Sandeep Sharma on Friday picked the crucial wickets of Travis Head and Henrich Klassen which restricted Sunirsers Hyderabad to a score of 175/9. Though the RR batters crumbled under pressure in the chase Sandeep’s bowling performance in the first innings stood out in Qualifier 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Rajasthan’s skipper Sanju Samson would shower high praises on the bowler and would say he has been the next best guy after Mumbai Indians’ ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah. ” I am happy for him. By not being picked in the auctions and coming back as a replacement. the way he bowled, he has delivered. If we look at the numbers, Sandeep Sharma in the last two years, will be the next guy after Bumrah. He has done a great job,” he said.

In 11 games he played in the ongoing season Sandeep picked up 13 wickets at an average of 23.92 and 8.18. The bowler might not be as quick as Bumrah but possesses a lethal yorker alongside subtle pace variations and knuckleballs. The 31-year-old started as a new-ball specialist and in the last few years has reinvented as a death bowler.

Twist in the tale

On a humid day, expecting the dew to play a big role in the second half of the match, Rajasthan Royals chose to bowl after winning the toss. With a series of slow bouncers and cutters, RR kept the big-hitting Sunrisers Hyderabad batsmen in check.

But the dew stayed away and SRH bowlers choked the run flow and went one up to win by 36 runs and book a place in the final.

In the IPL league stage, spinners had taken just five wickets at Chepauk. Once a venue with slow wickets that aided spinners, the current strips have no traces of the past. After having restricted Hyderabad to 175/9, it appeared to be RR’s game to lose. Hyderabad were yet to defend a total less than 180 this IPL and at Chennai, they have had just one win in 10 matches.

But the stats didn’t matter on the big night.

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