IPL 2023: Pooran’s party time!

LSG’s West Indian big-hitter Nicholas, whose 19-ball 62 ensured one-wicket victory over RCB, attributes success to strategy of breaking down game into individual match-ups

IPL 2023: Pooran's party time!

LSG’s Nicholas Pooran celebrates his fifty against RCB at Chinnaswamy on Monday. Pic/PTI

Lucknow Super Giants’ middle-order batter Nicholas Pooran attributed his success in his team’s thrilling last-ball win over Royal Challengers Bangalore to his strategy of breaking the game into match-ups. He also lauded the last over bowled by pacer Mark Wood, which restricted the home team to 212.

Top order collapse

LSG, despite losing three wickets in Powerplay with just 23 runs on the board, managed to win the game by one wicket on Monday night, with the West Indian middle-order batter scoring a 19-ball 62, and blasting the fastest half-century in IPL 2023 off just 15 deliveries.

“Obviously, I thought it was a really good cricket pitch. Mark Wood bowled an excellent last over and kept us in the game,” said Pooran, while conceding that a target of around 220 would have put his side psychologically under pressure.

Pooran said, when he came in to bat he was not thinking about how bad the situation was but only trying to get into the zone where he could pummel the RCB bowlers.

Also read: I did the right thing by playing slow: LSG skipper Rahul

“It [score] was definitely gettable. Eventually, I didn’t think about the situation [when I came in to bat] tonight. I just felt like I wanted to get in my zone and want to hit a couple out of the park and that got me going, to be honest. I just felt like I had to take that chance against the leg-spinner to get my innings going,” added the 267-year-old left-handed batter.

Room for improvement

However, Pooran was disappointed with himself not playing till the end and scoring the winning runs. “I got out at the wrong time. Again something, I obviously want to get better at, winning games and playing till the end,” he said.

Pooran said, his strategy for Monday was to try and break down the game into match-ups and see how best it worked.

“I just felt that it’s all about partnerships. When I get into that zone, it’s easier for you to break down the game, you know who are your match-ups, you know who you are looking to attack and who you can get those 15-20 from an over and who they are going to bring back to get you out.

“I think that’s how the game should be played. T20Is a difficult game, experience plays a massive role and I’ve struggled for the last six to seven years in finishing games. I make wrong decisions,” he added.

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