Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori backed Punjab Kings (PBKS) aggressive batting style, stating that they need to continue with the same approach despite a few results going against them.
Punjab Kings beat Chennai Super Kings by 11 runs in an IPL thriller on Monday. Shikhar Dhawan scored an unbeaten 88 off 59 balls and led Punjab Kings to a score of 187/4 in their 20 overs.
While PBKS struggled to score in the first 10 overs, Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa changed gears in the last five after which Liam Livingstone gave them a boost in his short stay in the middle.
Dhawan hit nine fours and two sixes in his 59-ball superlative unbeaten knock to power Punjab to 187 for 4 after being asked to bat.
There were plenty of good strokes from the Punjab players, leading to remarks on their style of play.
“No. It’s their style. It feels like they built the team at the auction wanting to be aggressive to complement the likes of Liam Livingstone in those middle stages. They’ve got to stay true to their identity and keep being aggressive.”
“I think they need to change their batting plan. They need to be more careful not to lose too many wickets in the powerplay. They probably need to do that in one or two games and see if that works,” Vettori told ESPNcricinfo.
Despite multiple failures, Vettori reckoned Odean Smith deserves to have another go before taking a final decision on his place in the playing XI.
“Utilize Odean Smith in a different way with his bowling strength” – says Daniel Vettori
The West Indian all-rounder has been taken to the cleaners with the ball and has also been lacklustre with the bat in hand.
“I would like to see Odean Smith get another go. He has the ability to bat at 7 or 8. He can be aggressive and take on the backend. Then, maybe, utilize him in a different way with his bowling strength,” he added.
Although PBKS started off well, they are now in a rut having lost three of the last Five games.