"With the way they were going, I thought 200, but we pulled it back nicely towards the end especially by Yash and Avesh. At this level anything is possible, we had the belief and with players like Stoinis and Pooran, we had to believe. Abhishek's over changed the momentum," Krunal said
Lucknow Super Giants' Nicholas Pooran plays a shot during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Pic/AFP
Nicholas Pooran always knew that there would be one over from a part-time spinner that he had to target as there would be no gain if there is no risk involved. Pooran scored 44 off 13 balls in Lucknow Super Giant's successful chase of 183 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday as they stayed in the play-off hunt in this edition of IPL. Pooran hit four sixes -- three of them coming in one over from Abhishek Sharma -- and three fours during his innings.
"We spoke about adapting, we knew we could target that one over from spin, it was right up to my match-up and thankfully it came off well (on the 31-run over from Abhishek), I did enjoy my batting. It's important to target that 6th bowler, it's a batter's game, no risk, no reward, you have to work on the match-ups," said Pooran after the match. Pooran knew that SRH pacers would use yorker and its slower variation at the death and he was up for it. "I've played enough international cricket to know how to deal with situations, I expected the bowlers to bowl yorkers and slower balls and was ready for it. Even in T20I cricket, I'd like to bat longer," Pooran added. LSG skipper Krunal Pandya felt that his bowlers did a good job in restricting the SRH to under 200 after the start they got in Powerplay. "With the way they were going, I thought 200, but we pulled it back nicely towards the end especially by Yash and Avesh. At this level anything is possible, we had the belief and with players like Stoinis and Pooran, we had to believe. Abhishek's over changed the momentum," Krunal said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Also Read: IPL 2023: Prabhsimran, spinners lead Punjab Kings to a 31-run win over Delhi Capitals
The skipper was all praise for Prerak Mankad, who anchored the chase with an unbeaten 64 off 45 balls. "He's (Prerak Mankad) coming in for his first season and to come out and bat like that shows a lot of character, really happy for him to coming out here and score those runs. Even he will believe he belongs here." Player of the match Mankad said that initially he wasn't able to connect against the spinners but grew in confidence as the match progressed. "I was trying to hit the spinners and couldn't connect. I knew Mayank (Markande) would try to get me out and I have played against him in domestic cricket, so took my chance. Thanks to the management for giving me this opportunity." Normally, a middle-order batter, No. 3 isn't a familiar position for Mankad. "I haven't batted a lot at No. 3 but have batted in the top four. I back my ability and strength, it worked out in the end. Whatever happens at the other end should not effect me, and because of Stoinis and Pooran we won this game."
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
