"He reminds me of a young Yusuf Pathan" - Tom Moody showers praise on SRH batter Abdul Samad

Former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach Tom Moody has praised middle-order batsman Abdul Samad by comparing him to the big-hitting Yusuf Pathan for his power game and ability to hit big sixes.

Samad pulled off a stunning last-ball finish by hitting a six off Sandeep Sharma to help SRH win against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur on Sunday, May 7.

With five runs required off the final ball, the 21-year-old was caught at long off but got a reprieve thanks to Sharma overstepping and being called for a no-ball.

Abdul Samad's blistering knock of 17 from seven deliveries included two maximums as he helped SRH stay in contention for a playoff spot.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Tom Moody stated that the knock could be a turning point in Samad's career.

"What Abdul Samad has got as a young, emerging player is a rare ability to hit the ball out of the ground," Moody said. "He reminds me of a young Yusuf Pathan. He's got that strength, power, and it's a very hard role to play."

"I hope that it gives the management and the franchise confidence that they have got the right person, because that is the hardest part. Forget about the player having confidence, you need the organisation - wherever you are - to have confidence in you, and I think if you look at his erratic selection over the last two years, I think that hopefully this is the turning point for him," he added

Moody was part of the SRH setup as a director and then head coach in 2021 and 2022, during which he worked with Abdul Samad from close quarters.

The big-hitting right-hander has been part of the SRH setup since 2020 but has only shown glimpses of his ability, scoring 354 runs at an average of 18.63 and a strike rate of 136.68.

Despite impressing only in patches, SRH could see the ability Samad possesses and backed the youngster by retaining him in the 2022 auction.

"I'm a retained player and I really want to make it count" - SRH batting coach Hemang Badani on Abdul Samad's admission after the loss to KKR

Abdul Samad was relieved to help SRH get over the line after the disappointing end against KKR.

SRH batting coach Hemang Badani has credited Abdul Samad for taking ownership of the team's inability to get over the line in their previous encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Hyderabad on May 4.

The 21-year-old was dismissed on the third ball of the final over, with SRH still requiring seven to win as they fell short by five runs.

At the post-match press conference, Badani spoke highly of Samad's willingness to take responsibility and remain strong.

Let me start off by saying I have to give full marks to Samad, because he was the first one to come up to me after the previous game and said, 'I should have finished the game.' He took ownership of it, and said with nine off six balls, more often than not, batters in the middle would finish games for their side, and he didn't finish it and he was a little unhappy about it," Badani said.

"And he was hurting, to be honest. He was hurting. He was like, 'I've been around with SRH, this is my third [fourth] year, I'm a retained player and I really want to make it count. I really want to try and show them that I am worth your time and I am worth the investment.' I think he's ensured that he's stayed strong," he added.

Abdul Samad's heroics ensured that SRH remain in contention for playoff qualification with eight points from 10 games.

They will now have nearly a week off before taking on the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday, May 13.