Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) skipper KL Rahul on Monday (28th March) talked about his side’s loss in an IPL 2022 encounter against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Mumbai. He also praised ‘baby AB’ Ayush Badoni for his impressive knock under pressure.
In what was their first IPL game, LSG suffered a 5-wicket loss at the hands of other new entrants GT. Asked to bat first, the Lucknow-based franchise had a horrendous start as they lost skipper KL Rahul on the first ball of the match.
Things got, even more, worse when they were jolted with the wickets of Quinton de Kock, Evin Lewis, and Manish Pandey inside the powerplay and found themselves reeling at 29/4.
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However, after that Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni led the rescue charge for their team. While the Indian cricketer looked confident and kept scoring boundaries at regular intervals, the youngster looked cautious at the start and scored 13 runs in the first 22 balls he faced.
Badoni unleashed himself after that and stitched an 87-run partnership with Hooda (55) and a 40-run stand with Krunal Pandya (21) that helped his side post a fighting total of 159 runs on the board. The Delhi batter register his maiden half-century in the league in 38 balls and also smashed four boundaries and three sixes in his innings. He was also lauded by many fans and pundits for his knock under pressure.
His knock went in vain as the Hardik Pandya-led side then chased the target with 5 wickets in hand and earned important two points for them.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, KL Rahul reflected on the loss against Gujarat Titans. He admitted that it was not an ideal start for them but contributions from the middle and lower order will give them confidence going ahead into the tournament.
He said that playing at the Wankhede his side needs to see the initial phase through and then they can pick up from there.
"It was a phenomenal game. What a way to start the campaign. Starting off like that with the bat was not ideal but the way we recovered was phenomenal. It gives us so much confidence when the batters in the middle and lower order can do the job.
“We know with the Wankhede the ball can do a bit at the start and if we can get through that it will be ideal. We couldn't have started the campaign in any better way,” KL Rahul said.
Rahul lauded Shami for his staggering spell. He talked about the positives for his side and remarked that the dew factor made it difficult for them in the second half.
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"There is so much to take away and learn for us. Sometimes you gotta give it to the quality of the bowler. We all know how good Shami is and if anyone could exploit the pitch that is Shami. I knew he would be dangerous. It is good to see him bowl that well. With the way we finished and batted in the second half we gave ourselves a chance.
“It gets really difficult with the dew to grip the ball but I don't want to give that as an excuse. We have to go back and practice bowling with the wet ball. We executed most of our plans but with a wet ball it skids on nicely. Good win for them and good learning for us," he said.
LSG skipper lavished rich praise for Ayush Badoni. Called him baby AB, Rahul said that he was delighted that the ‘360 degree’ player grabbed his opportunity in a pressure situation.
"He's (Badoni) baby AB for us. He has been phenomenal from the first day. For a little boy, he packs a punch and plays 360 degrees, so happy for him as he grabbed the opportunity. It was not ideal for him to walk out with us four down but he did well under pressure and hopefully, he can continue doing that,” he said.
LSG will next take on CSK at the Brabourne Stadium on March 31.
(ANI inputs)
