'We keep telling..': SRH skipper Aiden Markram hails Rahul Tripathi for unbeaten 74 of 48

PBKS vs SRH: Sunrisers Hyderabad registered their first victory of the Indian Premier League 2023 after defeating Punjab Kings by eight wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad. While SRH were boosted by a stellar bowling performance in the first innings, top-order batsman Rahul Tripathi starred in the second innings. Tripathi remained unbeaten on 74 runs off 48 balls, as SRH cruised to the win with eight wickets in hand and 17 balls remaining.

Meanwhile, shedding his thoughts on the victory, SRH skipper Aiden Markram heaped praises on the 32-year-old batsman for his composure. “We all know his ability and he showed it once again tonight. He's always a couple of balls away from doing something special. That's all we keep telling him, is to express himself because he's got all the shots,” Markram said in the post-match presentation ceremony. 

Aiden Markram on watching Rahul Tripathi bat from the other end

Markram stood at the non-striker’s end as Tripathi completed his fifty with a maximum in 35 balls. He also witnessed Tripathi hit a four to finish the game in style, which also brought up the 100-run partnership between both players. In the meantime, the skipper also mentioned his thoughts on watching the 32-year-old rain havoc on the PBKS bowling unit.

“He got a feel of the wicket and he made it count for us and was there at the end. Hats off to him, it was a great knock. It's very easy [for me] to do it when you've got a guy like Rahul at the other end. It's a great franchise to be a part of. It's the first win for us and hopefully we can take some momentum going forward,” Tripathi added.

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Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten 99 runs lift PBKS to a respectable total

Earlier during the SRH vs PBKS match, a wholehearted batting effort by PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan made the team, reach a respectable total. Shikhar remained unbeaten on 99 off 66, after taking the team total to 143/9 from being 88/9 at one point.  While it initially looked like the team won’t be able to cross the 100-run mark, skipper Dhawan stepped up to the occasion and played one of his best knocks in the tournament so far.