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Ravichandran Ashwin has stated that he was surprised to see SunRisers Hyderabad appoint Australian pacer Pat Cummins as their new captain for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The veteran Indian spinner mentioned that he had expected SRH to persist with South Africa's Aiden Markram, given that he has led the Eastern Cape Sunrisers to back-to-back SA20 titles.
Speaking about the captaincy change, Ashwin said in his latest YouTube video:
"Sunrisers have hit two titles back to back at the SA20. They’ve done it with two extraordinary teams. I was quite shocked, actually. They have made Pat Cummins the captain. I was having a small hunch that they would go with Markram. Markram had an extraordinary season for his franchise in the SA20. The cross-pollination would have been amazing."
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Ashwin also suggested that Cummins' addition to the team might complicate things while picking their four overseas players in the playing XI, adding:
"Pat Cummins is a no-brainer. But with Cummins as a captain, they will have a problem of plenty in the team with so many stars. Keeping Travis Head as backup, they would go for Markram, Pat Cummins, (Heinrich) Klaasen, and (Wanindu) Hasaranga. Because Hasaranga is a crucial facet for them. If they decide Hasaranga is not needed, in some venues they can play (Fazalhaq) Farooqi or Marco Jansen instead of him. This is what I thought because it makes sense."
The Hyderabad-based side went all out for Pat Cummins at the IPL 2024 mini-auction, shelling out a whopping ₹20.50 crore to acquire the fast bowler's services. He has done exceedingly well as the skipper for Australia, leading them to ODI World Cup and World Test Championship triumphs.
"Pat Cummins’ bowling will suit SRH" - Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin opined that Pat Cummins could make a significant impact as a bowler for SRH in their home matches, considering that the pitch has offered a spongy bounce in the previous editions.
Sharing his take on Hyderabad's bowling lineup, he added:
"Pat Cummins’ cutters: I feel Pat Cummins’ bowling will suit SRH. Even last year, the spongy bounce was there. Slower cutters will come into play. Hasaranga, Washi, and Shahbaz Ahmed are also there; I thought they would have an easy task-setting combination."
Ashwin reckoned that if the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Abhishek Sharma, and Marco Jansen give enough support to their big guns like Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen, SRH's qualification chances will increase significantly.
"If among Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, and Marco Jansen, even if two of them play a stable 300-400 run game, the team will easily go ahead. Klaasen has been playing brilliantly in T20 cricket, and Markram will off-spin an over. He is a good finisher with big power shots," he remarked.
SRH will open their IPL 2024 campaign with a clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Saturday, March 23.
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