"Aiden Markram will be tested as captain" - Virender Sehwag ahead of LSG vs SRH in IPL 2023

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag feels newly appointed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Aiden Markram won't have a straightforward game against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Friday.

Markram wasn't available for SRH's first game due to national duties, but will now take over the reins from stand-in skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He will be extremely confident, having won the SA20 League with Sunrisers Eastern Cape. The Proteas star has also been given South Africa's full-time T20I captaincy.

Speaking to Cricbuzz ahead of LSG's game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, here's what Virender Sehwag had to say about the IPL being a completely different kettle of fish:

"Aiden Markram will be tested as captain as he will be leading in the IPL for the first time. He has won the T20 league in South Africa, but this could be a different test. They have many match-winners in their team, but the key is to ensure they play together as a unit."

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Rajat Bhatia on difficulties Aiden Markram could face as SRH skipper

Veteran Delhi all-rounder Rajat Bhatia was also present on the panel during the discussion about Aiden Markram. He opined that for overseas skippers, it is often difficult to identify the spark in local Indian talent.

Bhatia feels that the role of the coaching staff will be crucial in letting Markram know what the strengths and weaknesses of the domestic talents are. On this, he stated:

"Whenever an overseas player captains an IPL team, he doesn't have a lot of idea about the domestic players. Now Markram is directly coming to play a game. So not sure how much he knows about the domestic players. The information that the team management gives him now will be crucial."

Markram and Co. will be keen to get two points against LSG after a huge loss in their first game against the Rajasthan Royals.