Laxman pleased with SRH display

Sun Risers Hyderabad mentor VVS Laxman today gave a thumbs up to the overall display of his side in the IPL, saying there was no lack of fighting spirit even in two of the three lost games.
"I am quite happy with the way team has played so far. We lost three games out of which two went to the wire. We fought till the end. We didn't give up except for the Chennai (Super King) game which was one-sided," said the former India Test stalwart ahead of tomorrow's game against Mumbai Indians here.
"The team has been playing really well in all department, we want to keep improving. It is great to see the way everybody has been working hard," added the 41-year-old.

While conceding openers Shikhar Dhawan and captain David Warner have played a stellar role in the team's progress thus far, Laxman insisted the other batsmen too had pulled their weight.
"Warner and Dhawan have done well. I also feel that Ravi Bopara has done well in the matches. In the game against Delhi (Daredevils), it was because of Karn Sharma and Ashish Reddy that we came close to winning.
"The performance have been really delivered by the opening batsmen and we have got quite a good batting depth, till No. 7. It is just about them converting the talent into performance. We are expecting a lot from these batsmen.

"Someone like KL Rahul did well in the game against RCB and also in the following game. They didn't covert into big scores so their performances is not highlighted. All of them are in good nick which is important for us. We are looking for contributions from not only a couple of players but five or six players when they go out to bat," he insisted.

Laxman also praised Dhawan for the way he played the supporting role when Warner was blasting his way at the other end.
"He was smart and that is what we want. You want your experienced player or any player to adapt to the situation. When Warner got off to a flier he played the supporting role. But there will be times in the coming matches when he will be off to a flier and Warner will play a supporting role.

"The communication is very important out in the middle. That's what we want each and every batsman to think and not just play one-dimensional cricket."
Asked about Ishant Sharma, who played just one game before he was dropped, Laxman said the lanky pacer has worked hard on cutting down on his no-ball problem but will now have to await his chance with replacement Praveen Kumar having done well.
"Ishant played the first game but unfortunately he bowled a lot of no-balls. He has really worked hard over the last one week on that aspect and has overcome the issue. But Praveen Kumar got an opportunity and did really well and Ishant unfortunately again misses out.

He also said that Australian Warner, whose temper is well known, is a matured player now and is leading the team very well.
"One of the reasons why we gave him the captaincy was because of the way he contributed as a leader last year even thought he was not the designated leader. He was contributing in each and every team meeting and as a senior player took lot of responsibilities last year.