Pooran also spoke about Chris Gayle comeback and fifty against RCB.
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) star batsman Nicholas Pooran has opened up about his match-winning six off the last ball of the 20th over and what was going on his head in the 31st match of the ongoing 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 on Thursday (October 15) at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
KXIP yet again found themselves in danger despite a great start in Sharjah, but it was Pooran who came to rescue and help the franchise end their losing streak in the ongoing IPL 2020 by defeating beat Virat Kohli-led RCB by 8 wickets.
After Mayank Agarwal (45 off 25 balls) and KL Rahul (61* off 49) gave a flying start to KXIP, the comeback man Chris Gayle played a brilliant innings of 53 off 45 balls to take the team to close to the target. But the real drama started in the 19th over, when Isuru Udana gave away only 5 runs off the over with Rahul managing only two runs off six balls in the 19th and 20th over.
Well, the things got worse when Gayle was run out on the penultimate ball and scores were tied at 171 leaving only one ball for Pooran to win the game and fortunately, the West Indian managed to do so, as he took charge, stepping out and hitting the final ball over long-on to win the game for the KXIP.
Reflecting at the six, Pooran said in a video posted by KXIP on Twitter: “The last over started, it was like deja vu. Last three balls, one run. It was like the Delhi (Delhi Capitals) game all over again but just the difference is that I was in the dugout.”
He added, “A million things were running in my mind. I was not clear, to be honest, what I was gonna do. I never wanted to be in that position. After sitting out for so long, I have to bat the last ball and 11 fielders look like 20 fielders. Two points is the most important thing for us.”
On Gayle's innings against RCB, the West Indian star said: “He started slowly, which is acceptable because he has not played cricket in a long while. He has shown once more why he is the greatest T20 batsman. It's wonderful to see him get runs.”
The wicketkeeper-batsman also hailed the 41-year-old Jamaican as the “greatest T20 player” and said his presence in the middle gives a lot confidence to the team.
Pooran signed off by saying, “To me, he is the greatest T20 player. When Chris is batting, you always feel you have a chance of winning the game. Once he is there, it's a different mood in the camp. We, as batsmen, would want someone like him in the middle.”
(With PTI Inputs)