Ishan Kishan played a magnificent knock on Monday, May 18, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), orchestrating a five-wicket win for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). This win helped the Orange Army reach the playoffs. On the other hand, CSK’s hopes of reaching the playoffs now hang by a thread, as they have to win their last match and hope for other results to fall in place.
The 2016 champions needed to chase down a 181-run target, which they did in 19 overs. Ishan Kishan starred with the bat, smashing 70 off 47 balls with the help of seven fours and three sixes. After the match, Kishan mocked the CSK fans as he made a whistle-blowing gesture, followed by a sign indicating “home,” signalling that SRH had conquered the five-time champions at their fortress. He then waved at the crowd before roaring, “Come on, SRH!”
Heinrich Klaasen, on the other hand, played a brilliant knock under pressure, and his 75-run partnership off 41 balls turned out to be the difference between the two sides. The Sunrisers won with six balls to spare.
After winning the Player of the Match award, Kishan said that he understood the importance of batting long at the Chepauk surface when he was keeping wickets.
“I think, when I was wicket-keeping, I just felt like this wicket is not easy. I still felt chasing this total is going to be a bit too much because, the wicket was not at all easy, especially when spinners were bowling and those slow balls working out very well, but at the same time, as a number three batter, I just felt, my job is to just try and finish the game because, batters coming in, especially at the back end, it’s difficult for them to take singles and at the same time score boundaries. So I had to just play it till the last over,” Kishan said.
“No, I mean, it was just about being there, believing in yourself. Sometimes that situation is difficult, but we all know how, these games are won because you need to believe in yourself. You cannot doubt yourself at any point of time. So I was just trying to keep it simple, try and bat as many overs as I can because being a left-hander, being in the middle, it’s difficult for the bowlers to keep the areas right every time. So I was just keeping it simple and trying to play till the last over,” he said while explaining his approach.
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