Defeat to SRH a good wake up call for us, says GL coach Brad Hodge

GUJARAT LIONS, who enjoyed three consecutive victories on the trot, tasted their first defeat of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad yesterday. 

SRH chased down the total of 136 runs without losing a wicket, with more than 5 overs to spare. However, Gujarat Lions head coach believes their loss against Tom Moody’s men could have a blessing in disguise bringing in an opportunity to introspect and learn.

In an interview with iplt20.com, the Aussie coach said,

"We have had a great start to the tournament; we won our first three matches. There are so many good teams in the competition and you are bound to lose one along the way. Yes, we got fairly comprehensively beaten tonight but it is great because there are a few learning curves for us along the way. We have a great side with wonderful match-winners.”

Hodge admitted that the team wasn’t at their usual best and thus the poor result. 

"I don't think they applied themselves as best as they could have. Apart from the captain, who looked in a different class today, the rest of them struggled a bit or played a bit too flamboyantly at times, and we gave away wickets easily."

The 41-year-old veteran also praised team skipper Suresh Raina, who scored a remarkable 75 runs off 51 balls while team-mates failed to contribute to his knock.

"I think his (Suresh Raina) strength is that he is a very calm human being. He has been under Dhoni for quite a while and he gets that relaxed persona on the field from him. He never gets too flustered, which is good for his troops out there. He understands the game well and I think he has wonderful knowledge of the game.”