Lucknow Super Giants’ Mukul Choudhary’s epic heist proved decisive in defeating Kolkata Knight Riders by three wickets yesterday. Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammad Kaif weighed in on LSG’s comeback, Choudhary’s brilliance, and KKR’s heart-breaking loss.
Sunil Gavaskar lavished praise on Lucknow Super Giants:
“This win against KKR is really important for LSG. They were in a tough spot, but sealed a miraculous win with the help of their youngsters. Mitchell Marsh didn’t score much runs, Aiden Markram made only 22, Pant and Pooran also failed to get going. Despite their main batters struggling, LSG still rescued themselves and secured the win. Last year, they relied completely on their main players. This season, they are winning without relying on them. What’s a concern for LSG is the poor form of Nicholas Pooran. He looked out of touch against KKR and LSG moved him to the middle order because they wanted more firepower there. But, he looked lost. He was just swinging his bat at each ball in the hope of getting some contact with the bat but that is not the Pooran we know. LSG will have to find a way to make Pooran regain his confidence back. Coming back to their run-chase, despite being at 104 for 5 after 13 overs, with all their main batters back in the dugout, they still managed to win. It gives LSG confidence. They know their fearless youngsters will come good at some point, and that belief alone can take them a long way.”
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On Mukul Choudhary’s knock:
“Unbelievable innings by this fearless prodigy, Mukul Choudhary. What I love about the IPL is that every day we get to see something different. We saw David Miller of Delhi Capitals play a fantastic knock and almost help his team get over the line against Gujarat Titans in the previous match, but that knock was played by a renowned World Cup star. Here, it is Mukul Choudhary, who stepped up and helped his side cross the finish line. This guy is a young kid who bats at number five for Rajasthan in domestic T20 cricket. He just comes into the IPL, plays an unbelievable innings and makes everyone talk about him. The confidence he showed and the way he executed his shots was simply amazing to watch. At the stage of the innings where he came in to bat, he showed calmness, took his time, settled down properly and began hitting the balls out of the ground. He even played the helicopter shot, which MS Dhoni would have been very nostalgic seeing. He turned down easy singles because he trusted his ability to hit big shots and finish the game. That was simply amazing to watch.”
On the importance of Ayush Badoni’s 54-run knock:
“Ayush Badoni’s knock of 54 runs is highly underrated. This knock is what helped LSG keep believing. He is a very good all-around cricketer. He can bowl a bit and is a very good fielder. But he has been used as an impact sub this season. For him to come in and start timing the ball the way he did was just splendid to watch. Yes, he got stuck a bit because Sunil Narine was going through a beautiful spell. But when he played against the seamers, he looked in great touch and kept hammering them to all parts of the ground. Immediately after he brought up his half-century, he got dismissed. That must have been a worrying sign for LSG. But you have to give credit to Ayush Badoni. He has been playing for them for a while. He is captaining Delhi in domestic cricket. So, all that maturity is coming to the fore. From an LSG point of view, you want such players in your line-up. At the end of the day, your top four or five batters are your seasoned international players. Then come these fearless prodigies, who are supposed to make the difference. They are the ones who have to show up in the finishing part of the match.”
Mohammad Kaif explained why KKR’s loss will be a tough one to swallow:
“I feel bad for Ajinkya Rahane because he had an amazing game as Captain. This defeat against Lucknow will prove to be demoralizing for KKR. They did so many things right in this game. Despite a very depleted bowling attack, they managed to put LSG under pressure. Sunil Narine and Anukul Roy bowled well. Vaibhav Arora’s first and even his second spell were not bad at all. Lots of things came together for them. Cameron Green gave them a couple of overs, got a wicket, and showed he had the capability to score runs with the bat. It looked like a victory would complete the effort. But then Mukul Choudhary took the game away from KKR. Ajinkya Rahane and his men had the match almost in their hands, but a fearless knock from a prodigy turned things around.”
On Rishabh Pant’s shortcomings:
“Rishabh Pant will not be happy with his knock of 10 runs. He played a match-winning innings in the previous game against SRH, helping LSG get over the line. But against KKR, the team needed him to stay till the end. He is an experienced player, having been in the IPL since 2016. The situation when he came out to bat was not particularly difficult. LSG had already scored 41 in the first five overs. One batter needed to take responsibility and bat through the chase. That role was meant for Pant. As Captain, if you don’t take responsibility, you cannot help your team win games. Yes, he did well against SRH, but he needs to find consistency. Playing one good knock and then failing in the next few games is not enough. He has to read the match situation better and learn when to shift gears. A Captain’s job is to stay till the end in a chase, and that is something Pant must work on.”
