Mullanpur, April 10
Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Abdul Samad feels the visitors could have won the game comfortably by 15 runs against Punjab Kings if they had managed to hold on to the two catches in the final over.
Ashutosh Sharma struck two sixes in the final over, and on both occasions, SRH fielders almost got a hold of the ball before it could sail over the boundary line.
On the first occasion, Nitish Reddy palmed the ball over the rope, while on the second instance, Samad palmed it over the rope.
"We dropped two catches and they came close otherwise we would have won by 15 runs. Shashank and Ashutosh played really well in the final overs so it was a good contest," Samad said in the post-match press conference.
Despite, dropping a catch in the final over, Nitish starred in all facets of the game. With the bat, he struck a splendid 64 and then went on to claim Jitesh Sharma's wicket.
Even in SRH's last match against CSK, Nitish struck a well-structured knock of 14*. Samad revealed the difference in Nitish's style of play in the past two seasons.
"Last year Nitish played conventional shots this time he looks completely different. He has prepared well and he made a good impact in our practice matches. Everyone is impressed by him and that is why they back him," Samad said.
"I feel he was promoted because of the confidence that he gained in the last game. Everybody was confident that he would deliver," he added.
Coming to the match, after losing three wickets in the powerplay, SRH posted a total in excess of 180 thanks to Nitish Reddy's maiden half-century and some crucial runs scored by Abdul Samad and Shahbaz Ahmed.
In the run-chase of 183, PBKS lost wickets frequently and were reduced to 114/6 in 15.3 overs. A remarkable fightback from Shashank Singh (46* in 25 balls, with six fours and a six) and Ashutosh Sharma (33* in 15 balls, with three fours and two sixes) almost sealed a win for Punjab, but they fell short by two runs.