Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opening batsman has revealed that he was very nervous while watching the last ball of the Indian Premier League (IPL) game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Ravindra Jadeja single-handedly took the game away from a confident Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League encounter at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Sunday as he scored 22 runs off the penultimate 19th over as Prasidh Krishna looked on haplessly. The two-wicket win saw CSK return to the top of the table.
Ruturaj Gaikwad Was Very Nervous To Watch The Last Ball But CSK Managed To Win By 2 Wickets
Chennai Super Kings defeated a confident Kolkata Knight Riders, who won their last 2 games against RCB and MI, by 2 wickets to win a thrilling encounter in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. With 4 runs required off the last over, CSK lost two crucial wickets in the final over. However, pacer all-rounder Deepak Chahar scored the winning runs. It turned out to be a close contest but CSK scraped through in an unlikely win.
“I was hiding behind one of our members, was very nervous to watch the last ball. When you are chasing a big total, the opening stand is crucial. We managed to do it today. Would have been better if one of us batted till the 13th over.
“The game wouldn’t have come this closer. He (Dhoni) is very cool. everyone sitting in the dugout is used to the pressure in their international careers too,” Ruturaj Gaikwad told host broadcaster Star Sports after the game ended.
With 24 required from ten balls, Ravindra Jadeja smashed Prasidh Krishna for 20 runs in four balls. Needing 34 runs to win from 21 balls with seven wickets in hand, Chennai Super Kings looked like they may have thrown away a simple chase as Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, and MS Dhoni all fell within the space of six balls.
But Chennai Super Kings had another all-rounder in playing XI in the form of Ravindra Jadeja, who crushed Kolkata Knight Riders’ victory hopes in the space of a devastating four-ball sequence in the 19th over as Chennai Super Kings eventually got over the line on the final ball in a dramatic two-wicket win on Sunday afternoon in Abu Dhabi.
Ruturaj Gaikwad Didn’t Want To See The Last Ball For Batting Again In The Nervous Super Over In Case Scores Were Tied
“So I think they are really cool and back themselves to cross the line, The last ball (didn’t want to see), because if there was a Super Over. maybe I could have batted and all the nervousness could have kicked in. Obviously, after every win, we do have celebrations. And when we lose the atmosphere is quite chilled out and normal as well. When we win we celebrate a lot,” he added.
Earlier, Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana scored 45 and 37 respectively as KKR posted 171/6 in the allotted twenty overs. Eoin Morgan’s side was struggling at one stage but Dinesh Karthik’s cameo of 26 runs of 11 balls helped KKR go past the 170-run mark. CSK will next lock horns with SunRisers Hyderabad on Thursday in the IPL. Chennai Super Kings is now back on top of the IPL table with 16 points, ahead of Delhi Capitals on net run rate.
Chennai Super Kings 172 for 8 (du Plessis 43, Gaikwad 40, Narine 3-41) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 171 for 6 (Tripathi 45, Rana 37, Thakur 2-20, Hazlewood 2-40) by two wickets