KL Rahul, the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), acknowledged that Rajat Patidar's knock was the main reason behind LSG's 14-run loss in the eliminator to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday (May 25).
The young batter smashed an unbeaten 54-ball 112 with the help of 12 fours and 7 sixes and thus became the first uncapped Indian player to hit a century in the playoffs. On the back of this performance and Dinesh Karthik’s (37* off 23 balls) brilliant hitting towards the end, the Royal Challengers posted a mammoth total of 207.
SEE ALSO: Cricket fraternity stunned as Rajat Patidar’s 112* helps RCB to 207/4 in Eliminator against LSG
Rahul, also stated that the Super Giants’ let themselves down on the field with a few dropped catches.
“It's quite obvious the reasons why we didn't win the game. We let ourselves down in the field. The difference between the teams was Patidar's knock. When a player from the top ends up playing a good knock, the team ends up winning,” Rahul was quoted as saying to Star Sports after the match.
The 30-year-old vowed to make a comeback after learning from the mistakes they made this season. He also praised left-arm seamer Mohsin Khan, who has been one of the tournament's best performers among uncapped players.
“It's a new franchise. We have made a lot of mistakes, but you've got to learn from them and come back stronger. We are a young team. The group of under 25 has done well in patches. Mohsin Khan has shown everybody how good he is and what skills he possesses.
“It's his first season and it is important to take confidence from this and go home and work harder. He'll clock up more speeds and deliver better next year,” he added.
Lucknow's captain led from the front, scoring 58-ball 79. He stitched a 96-runs partnership with Deepak Hooda (45 off 26 balls). But Harshal Patel's brilliant bowling in the death overs shifted the tide in Bangalore's favor. In 4 overs, he gave away just 25 runs while taking a wicket.
(INDIA TODAY INPUTS)
