Vishnu Solanki won Baroda the quarter-final match against Haryana with a last-ball six finish.
Baroda batsman Vishnu Solanki stunned Haryana in a semi-final match of Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy with a last-ball six finish. The six came off a helicopter shot which reminded everyone of MS Dhoni
They were in a tough spot to win the match with 15 runs needed off the last three deliveries. Solanki backed himself to finish the task and smashed a six, four, and another six to snatch the game from Haryana's jaws.
The 28-year-old revealed he had practiced the helicopter shot in the quarantine period to be more effective in the death overs. He ended up scoring a 46-ball 71* runs to ensure a place in the semi-final.
"Actually, I practiced a lot and worked very hard for the helicopter shot for the T20 format. Whenever I used to get free time after practice, I would practice this shot in the hope that it would help me in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy," he told IANS on Wednesday.
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Solanki knows the bowlers try to attack the stumps with yorkers in death overs which makes it difficult to play the big shots. So he learned the helicopter shot to stay a step ahead of the bowler.
"I had learned this shot, especially for the 'death' overs because, during the last few overs of the innings, a fast bowler generally tries to bowl yorkers. In the last four-five overs, the bowlers go for the yorkers. That is why I learnt this shot. I had been working hard on this shot for the last three-four months in Baroda. I used to see Mahi bhai. I also thought I should try something different. I thought it will be apt for T20 cricket.
"I first practiced the shot with a tennis ball at the nets. Then I tried it with a cricket ball. You need perfect timing for this shot as well as focus. You should know what bowlers are bowling," he added.
Solanki has been contributive with the bat throughout the tournament, apart from the first two matches where he scored a duck against Himachal Pradesh and just six runs against Uttarakhand.
He made up for them by scoring an unbeaten 33-ball 42 against Chhattisgarh, a 17-ball 28 against Maharashtra, and an unbeaten 33-ball 59 against Gujarat.
When asked about his aggressive batting, he replied, "This is my natural game. I tried these shots in the league games too. Whenever I batted in the 'death' overs of the tournament, I have tried these shots."
(With IANS Inputs)