In T20’s, each and every run matters, and in this form of the game, utmost priority is given to fielding. It’s often said that each run saved, by an acrobatic dive or a lunge, can have a drastic impact on the overall outcome of the game.
The theory proved absolutely correct in the game between the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Lions at the Wankhede Stadium. The hosts were simply struggling with the bat, before debutant all-rounder, Krunal Pandya rescued Mumbai with a fantastic cameo at the end. Pandya added some priceless runs in the last few overs along with the lower order batsmen.
On the last ball of Mumbai’s innings, Pandya slogged a slower one from Dwayne Bravo and it seemed that the ball would carry all the way for a six. Being a slower one, there was no certainty of the ball making it to the boundary on the full. However, at the edge of the boundary, Gujarat’s Akashdeep Nath, lunged into the air like Superman, and pushed the ball back into play, saving 4 runs.
Things later turned to be so tight and narrow that the Lions needed 1 to win off the last ball. Aaron Finch managed to hit the winning runs, but who knows, had Nath not saved those 4 runs, the result of the game could have been different?
Check out the video below, to witness the superheroic effort from Akashdeep Nath:
Meet @TheGujaratLions‘ SUPERMAN – Akshdeep Nath #MIvGL #VIVOIPLhttps://t.co/SvnUxcWNu2
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) 16 April 2016