IPL 2023: 'World can see the class and power he's got', Markram hails Klaasen's batting

Ahmedabad, May 16 (IANS) Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Aiden Markram has hailed the batting performance of his IPL and Proteas team-mate Heinrich Klaasen, who played a valiant knock against Gujarat Titans.?

Chasing a target of 189 runs for victory, Heinrich Klaasen hit a fighting fifty (64 off 44) but he didn't get much support from top-order batters as SRH were restricted to 154/9 in 20 overs, losing by 34 runs on Monday night.?

"He's (Klaasen) a great player and I'm very happy for him, the world can see the class and power he's got. The rest of us haven't assisted him. It's tough for him to be on the losing side after performing the way he has," said Markram at the post-match presentation.

The SRH skipper also mentioned that the chase became difficult once they lost four wickets in the powerplay, adding that their bowling were also slightly off.

"We were in the game at the halfway mark but when you lose four wickets in the powerplay, it becomes difficult," said Markram.

"(On their bowling) We were slightly off, to be honest. We've got high-class bowlers who can swing the ball. Shubman's innings was incredible and so did their number three. We stuck in there and credit goes to Bhuvi to show us how it's done," he added.

With their loss against Gujarat Titans, SRH were eliminated from the playoffs race. They have just 8 points in 12 matches.

Asked about their remaining two games, Markram said they will play for pride and try to give some opportunities to some players.

"A lot of pride for us to play for. We'll try to give some opportunities if we're allowed to. It'll be nice to finish off the tournament in good spirits but unfortunately, we haven't been good enough in the tournament this year. When a team is one down in the backend, it can go either of the two ways. It was important to break the partnership and Bhuvi did that for us. He's been exceptional for us and Nattu as well," he said.