Rajasthan Royals (RR) were at their best against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as the former ended CSK’s winning run in this UAE-leg of IPL 2021 as RR chased down the target of 190 runs with 15 balls to spare on Saturday (2 October) at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The RR all-rounder Shivam Dube who played an important role in their run chase with 64 off 42 balls to his name, revealed how the Rajasthan head coach Kumar Sangakkara had confidence in him.

“We had a good start and for me, it was going on with a good strike rate. I think I had positive intent from the start. Sanga (Sangakkara) told me to be positive at any moment because he knows my potential. He told me that I can win good matches. I did today. Thanks to Sanga,” Dube told host broadcasters Star Sports.

With possible qualification on the line, RR batted extremely well with the left-handed Shivam Dube displaying great power-hitting as his knock of 64 which included 4 sixes and as many boundaries.

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“Obviously, this knock was much needed for me and my team. This knock is totally for my team. We are on number six in the points table and if we really play well in our remaining two matches, we can qualify for the playoffs,” Dube said in the virtual post-match press conference.

“It was really important and talking about the bench, it is about the team and what combination the side wants to go in with. I was waiting for my chance and I got the chance and I performed well,” he added.

The Mumbai-based cricketer then talked about the importance of RR opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 50 (21) with 6 boundaries and 3 maximums which provided them with a great start to their chase.

“Any team needs a good start, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Evin Lewis were amazing. Yashasvi was batting differently today, we needed that kind of start against CSK and we had it and hence we finished the match so early,” the 28-year-old concluded.

(With Star Sports and ANI Inputs)