Sunrisers to focus on batting improvement: Srikkanth

Hyderabad: Sunrisers Hyderabad team mentor Krishnamachari Srikkanth expressed happiness over his side putting up a united show in their opening match win over Pune Warriors in the Pepsi IPL, but said that they would have to improve upon their batting.

"We could have got 15, 20 more runs in the match against Pune Warriors yesterday (Friday), batting will be a big focus for us. Anything above 150-155 will be a good total on the wicket condition we have," Srikkanth told reporters ahead of their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday. He showered praise on the players for their team spirit and the strong desire to win. "We are happy that we won the first game. I always felt that the first match is very crucial. The boys did an excellent job, 126 was not a very big total. The way the boys came together was good, cricket is team game," he said. "Everybody contributed their bit. Dayle Steyn and Amit Mishra were excellent," he added. Asked if his side had drawn up any special plans for tomorrow`s game, as RCB have some star players, Srikkanth said, "We know we are playing a very good side on Sunday. We are confident of taking up the challenge." He said India`s latest batting sensation Shikhar Dhawan has told the management that he would be joining the team soon. He also said that the West Indies captain Darren Sammy will be joining the team shortly. Meanwhile, RCB bowler Vinay Kumar said that his side would look to build a winning momentum. He expressed happiness for having got the opportunity to lead the bowling attack. PTI