Cricketer-turned-cricketer Aakash Chopra hailed Southpaw Rinku Singh for his phenomenal finish against defending champions Gujarat Titans on Sunday. The young batter scored five sixes in a row to give Kolkata Knight Riders a second straight win in a row.
The two-time champions were struggling at one stage, with them losing Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur for a hat-trick by Gujarat Titans stand-in skipper Rashid Khan before Rinku Singh went all guns blazing in the final over to score 5 consecutive sixes.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra was full of praise for Uttar Pradesh youngster Rinku Singh for taking the team from a struggling position to emerge victorious in the last ball.
“Say Rinku Singh five times. What amazing things you do Rinku Baba. It was a match Kolkata had no chance of winning. They snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The Player of the Match is Rinku Singh,” Aakash Chopra said.
Aakash Chopra rated this clash one of the finest matches in the history of the cash-rich league and also credited Umesh Yadav for taking a single on the very first ball of the 20th over to give a strike to the youngster.
” It was one of the finest games that we have ever witnessed. 29 runs were required in the last over and he hit five sixes. He didn’t even have the strike on the first ball. They got a single off the first ball, that was Umesh Yadav.”
Rinku Singh hammered Yash Dayal to all parts of the ground, as the Gujarat Titans pacer failed to execute his plan under pressure which helped Rinku to produce arguably the greatest finish of the IPL.
This Knock Will Be Remembered For A Long Time – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra also spoke about the bowler in the receiving end, as the Gujarat Titans pacer tumbled under pressure as he placed three full tosses in the last over and two slower balls and also lauded Rinku Singh as this knock will be remembered for the longest time in history.
“Three full tosses went for sixes. Yash Dayal was trying to bowl yorkers but not even one yorker landed. After that, an attempt to bowl back-of-the-hand slower balls and two more sixes were hit. A total of 31 runs were hit in that over. Unbelievable Rinku – this knock will be remembered for a long time,” Aakash Chopra added.
Chopra also hailed Venkatesh Iyer for his emphatic knock as the Indian all-rounder was at his absolute best as he scored 40-ball 83 before being dismissed by Alzarri Joseph. The two-time champions will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their fourth match in the iconic Eden Gardens On April 14.