SRH lose, but win praise

After losing tio Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 2 on Sunday, SunRisers Hyderabad Skipper David Warner said despite doing well with bat and bowl, his side failed to show the same attitude in the fielding.

'First and foremost, no one gave us a chance at the start. Everyone talked of the big three: Mumbai, DC and RCB. So, I am really proud of our campaign,' Warner told the host broadcaster Star Sports after the game on Sunday night.

'(Thangarasu) Natarajan, Rashid (Khan), Manish Pandey have been the positives. That back half in the tournament is how we like to play our cricket,' Warner added.

'You can't win tournaments if you keep dropping catches and missing chances. I think with the ball and the bat we improved after doing badly, but our attitude in the field let us down,' the SRH captain, candid as always, said.

'Yes, there were injuries but you have to work with what you have got. I am proud to get where we are today as no one gave us a chance.'

The SunRisers were applauded by some of the game's big names as well.

Ian Bishop, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan as well as commentator Harsha Bhogle waxed eloquent about Hyderabad's campaign, praising uncapped players Natarajan and Abdul Samad.

'Congratulations on an excellent campaign @sunrisers. You took your supporters on a roller coaster but you produced a lot of joy,' Harsha, who was born and raised in Hyderabad, tweeted.

Irfan, who is the mentor of Jammu and Kashmir's Ranji team, picked Samad, who is from Kashmir, for special praise.

'Yes, he should have won the game for @SunRisers but really proud of #abdulsamad for showing character and power game. #1stseasonofipl,' Irfan tweeted.

'Abdul Samad is gonna be a special & big player in future, 'Bhajji tweeted. 'Played some brilliant shots today, specially that pull shot against Nortje.'

'Given the number of injuries @SunRisers had, this has been an impressive season to say the least. Of all the things they can be proud of,' Ian Bishop, one of the West Indies's fine fast bowlers, tweeted, 'T Natarajan's full season must sure be at the top of the list.

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