BENGALURU: It’s still early days in the IPL season, but after four matches, Lucknow Super Giants find themselves languishing in the lower half of the points table with two losses. Their power-packed batting line-up is yet to truly fire, and Tom Moody, global director of cricket, RPSG Group, believes the M Chinnaswamy Stadium could be the perfect ‘tonic’ for players like Nicholas Pooran to rediscover their touch.On the eve of their clash against RCB, the Australian addressed concerns around the batting unit, backed the bowling group, and expressed confidence that the team is not far from clicking as a cohesive unit.
Excerpts:On Pooran’s form: Nicky is fully aware of the slow start he’s had. We’ve got absolutely 100% confidence in what he brings to the table. I’m sure that the opportunity at a venue where battling can be something that top order players can enjoy could well be the tonic that he needs. Anyone can have a little lean patch, but look out for the counter-punch. Wednesday night is a great opportunity for all our batters who haven’t had the consistency of starts they’d like.On the return of pacer Mayank Yadav: The likes of Mayank and Mohsin Khan have had long term injuries. Our medical teams worked exceptionally hard over the last few months to get them up and ready to play. Mohsin will probably do a final test on Wednesday to see whether he’s available for selection. Mayank is also ready to go. He didn’t jump into our thought processes early in the tournament purely because he was still a bit underdone. Not from a point of view of his fitness, but bowling and the loads that any bowler needs to feel comfortable at the crease. So he presents a headache for us with regards to selection. The influence of Mohammed Shami: He’s been bowling brilliantly of late and the kind of work he has put in. No surprise to see him do as well as he’s done so far. He’s come off a very good domestic season so he’s got the work as well underneath him. He looks fit and strong. We know that he brings a unique skill set with the new ball. He can swing the ball both ways and be a real threat in the power play. He’s been terrific for us because he’s the head of our bowling attack. The impact of the 200 plus scores norm on a team batting first: It depends on venues. We know Chinnaswamy Stadium does tend to go over 200 on a regular basis. We also know, there is certainly a stronger bias towards teams having success batting second. You don’t want to end up in a situation chasing the top of the mountain right at the get-go. It’s important you stick to the way that you tend to try to build a total and then recognise that moment to strive for those big totals.
