IPL 2021: “We know we've got a challenge ahead of us"- Tom Moody on facing RCB

Tom Moody, director of cricket of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), has said that the Hyderabad-based team face a formidable challenge when they go up against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Wednesday.

After falling to KKR in their IPL 2021 opener on Sunday, SRH will look to register their first win of the campaign when they lock horns with RCB, who toppled defending champions Mumbai Indians in their first game.

Speaking to SRH's YouTube channel while previewing the RCB game, Tom Moody wants his team to focus on their own strengths, saying in this regard:

“We know we have got a challenge ahead of us. I don’t think it is going to be any tougher than any other team we may face. It is more about us focussing on our strengths and making sure we get that part of our game sorted".

The last encounter, preparations for tonight's match, the challenge ahead and more!Hear it all from @TomMoodyCricket 🗣️#SRHvRCB #OrangeOrNothing #OrangeArmy #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/veqL4Nxk8u

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 14, 2021

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have one of the most balanced roster in IPL 2021.

In international and Indian stars like Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj, RCB have a plethora of match-winners in their ranks. Ahead of SRH's clash with the Virat Kohli-led team, Tom Moody is aware of the challenge RCB could pose:

"Every team in the competition presents a different challenge. RCB are obviously a star-studded side with a lot of dangerous international players and a couple of very dangerous Indian players led by Virat Kohli," reflected Tom Moody.

Tom Moody, however, refuted claims that SRH's loss in their tournament opener would have any bearing on their performance against RCB. Instead, he wants SRH to keep their heads clear and put up an improved show, saying:

"It is an uncontrollable. We can’t control the fact that they have got the points on the board, and we don’t. What we can control is how we approach that contest and how clear we are with our thinking and making sure we are playing with a clear head. Making sure we are playing to improve from our first performance. What the opposition has done and may do is not really that relevant when it comes to our own performance".

There were a lot of positives in our performance against KKR: Tom Moody

The dynamic trio with 4️⃣5️⃣ wickets against the Royal Challengers 🧡Can they hit the half-century mark today? 🤔#SRHvRCB #OrangeOrNothing #OrangeArmy #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/K9MCk9uOeQ

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 14, 2021

SRH opened their IPL 2021 campaign with a disappointing ten-run defeat against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Winning the toss and bowling first, SRH failed to pick up wickets in the powerplay as KKR put up a competitive total of 187-6. Tom Moody admitted that his team's poor bowling performance was one of the reasons why they lost the game, saying in this regard:

"We bowled first in conditions we thought were going to be challenging for batting. As it turned out, it didn’t swing a hell of a lot, and the impact we would normally have in those early overs, we didn’t have. I think when we reflect on our bowling performance, it was well before par. We are fully aware of that. We know it is something we need to improve on, and everyone has been very honest in their reflection of that".

Nevertheless, Tom Moody said that the performances of Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey were some of the positives for SRH in the game.

"On the other hand, there are a lot of positives to take from that game. Yes, we gave them 20-25 more runs than we should have due to our poor bowling performance. But having lost a couple of early wickets, I thought our batting showed a lot of resolve, a lot of character. The way Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow batted was outstanding."

Tom Moody also reserved special praise for young Abdul Samad for the way he took on Pat Cummins.

"Samad also came in and showed us once again that he is a player to watch out for. He has got a great power game. The way he can come in very first ball and smash the ball out of the ground off the bowler of a quality of Pat Cummins is exciting. He is definitely another positive to draw away from that performance," concluded Tom Moody.