ITL 2022: Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson will open for Hyderabad, says spin coach Muttiah Muralitharan

 ITL 2022: Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson will open for Hyderabad, says spin coach Muttiah Muralitharan

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Hyderabad spin-bowling coach Muttiah Muralitharan has announced that uncapped Indian player Abhishek Sharma and skipper Kane Williamson will open the innings in the upcoming season. The 2016 champions retained Williamson at INR 14 crore last year and had released Abhishek ahead of the player auction.

The left-hander started playing for the team in 2019 as he was traded by Delhi. In the 22 games, he played after making his debut in 2018, he has amassed 241 runs, striking at 139.3 with the highest score of 46 runs. With the ball, he averages 25.14 and has an economy of eight while picking seven wickets. The 2018 U19 World Cup winner has been bought back by the Orange Army at INR 6.5 crore.

Muralitharan has revealed that Sharma was part of their plans going into the recently concluded auction.

“Abhishek was pretty much part of our initial plans. He was in and out of the side last season, but we want him to assume greater responsibility this time. We want him to open the batting alongside Kane. That will help us get a good left-hand, right-hand combination at the top. They will be followed by Aiden at 3, Rahul at 4, Pooran at 5, Samad at 6 and Washington [Sundar] at 7. That’s our tentative top seven,”he said.

Wanted to retain Rashid Khan but he wanted a better offer: Muttiah Muralitharan

The all-time highest wicket taker an Tests and ODIs has said that the team wanted to retain Rashid Khan but he wanted a better offer.

“Rashid is a great bowler and an amazing person to work with. We wanted to retain him at a high price, but he wanted a better offer. That’s completely fair. We’re a bit disappointed because we don’t have him in our team. We tried our best [to retain him], but Ahmedabad [Gujarat Titans] gave him a better contract. I wish him all the best for his new journey,” added the spin wizard.

Steven

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