Warner batted right-handed better than me: Lokesh Rahul

Dubai, May 1 (IANS) Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Lokesh Rahul praised teammate David Warner saying that the Australian southpaw batted right-handed better than him.

Rahul (46) and Warner (65) strung together a 111-run third-wicket partnership as the Sunrisers handed defending champions Mumbai Indians their fifth straight loss this season.

"I think he batted better than I did right-handed. I was struggling to get (Lasith) Malinga away and there he goes, takes him on batting right-handed and smashes him over what could be a third-man for a right-hander. We've seen him bat right-handed in the nets and he really puts in a lot of work in that aspect. He doesn't just play right-handed but smashes the ball hard," Rahul was quoted as saying by IPLT20.com

"People who watch him bat think David Warner is just an aggressive batsman who goes bang bang bang. But in reality, there is a lot of thinking and planning that goes in his innings. Today, he took his time initially before upping the ante. He believes in his ability and knows he will make up with big hits later in the innings. He's among those players who can score 20 runs off an over at will."

The Hyderabad franchise has won just two of the five matches with Rahul playing a peripheral role in the team's fortunes. However, a change in the batting order for the Sunrisers saw the Karnataka batsman bumped up the batting line-up where he produced his best performance yet.

"The team management showed a lot of faith in me by promoting me up the order. They told me that they were planning to send me one-down, although I felt that I have been scoring at a run-a-ball and it is not enough in the T20 format and so I will be pushed further down the line-up. 

"But the coach told me it is okay for me to play my game and take my time. He said batting at No.3 my role would be to rotate the strike and help the team lay a solid foundation so that people like Warner and (Darren) Sammy can build on it. I am glad I could do that. In the last couple of games, I got 20s and 30s and threw my wicket away, which wasn’t helping the team. I was sent higher up the order so that I have more time to pace my innings," said Rahul.

Sunrisers Hyderabad are placed sixth, tied on four points with Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils in the eight-team league.

Mumbai's fifth consecutive loss means they are the only team not to win a single match this year.