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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Harry Brook hit a sensational century to power his side to 228/4 in the first innings of the 19th IPL 2023 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday, April 14. Eden Gardens in Kolkata is playing the host to this contest.
After being asked to bat first, Harry Brook provided a blazing start to SRH with a flurry of boundaries against the new ball KKR pacers Umesh Yadav and Lockie Ferguson. It was a welcome sign for SRH management as Brook has struggled to score runs so far coming into this game.
His opening partner, Mayank Agarwal (9) failed to match his rhythm as he had another off day with the bat. Andre Russell dismissed Agarwal and Rahul Tripathi (9) in the fifth over to bring KKR back into the contest.
Harry Brook then smartly slipped into the anchor role after the powerplay and let his partners go after the KKR spin trio. The strategy worked wonders, as Aiden Markram (50) and Abhishek Sharma (32) attacked the spinners and amassed quick runs in the middle overs.
Harry Brook kept rotating the strike against spinners and went berserk when pacers came back again. Brook went on to score his maiden IPL century in the final over off 55 balls and helped SRH reach a mammoth total of 228/4.
Fans were excited to witness Harry Brook's exuberant batting show for the first time in the IPL. They hailed him through their reactions on Twitter.
Here are some of the best reactions:
"I just tried to rotate the strike and get the other boys on strike and they did a fantastic job" - Harry Brook after his 100* vs KKR in IPL 2023
Reflecting on his knock at the mid-innings break, Brook shed light on his batting strategy throughout the innings.
He revealed that the pitch was absolutely great for batting and that taking wickets regularly would be key for them in the second innings. Brook said:
"Not really (whether the ball grips), they used spin as a match-up for me. I just tried to rotate the strike and get the other boys on strike and they did a fantastic job. Yeah absolutely, it's a belter of pitch."
"We gotta take wickets. They have got some of the best finishers in the world. They've (family) just left actually - my girlfriend's here. I knew as soon as they leave, I'd get some runs (laughs)."
Do you think SRH can defend the total? Sound off in the comments section.
