Rinku Singh starred with the bat as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) snatched a miraculous three-wicket victory from the jaws of defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (April 9).
Chasing 205 to win, KKR needed 29 off the last over and Rinku smashed Yash Dayal for five consecutive sixes to take his team over the finishing line on the last delivery.
The southpaw was rightfully adjudged Player-of-the-Match for his remarkable knock of 48* in 21 balls, including 1 four and 6 sixes.
Ever since his last over heroics, Rinku Singh has been receiving praise from all quarters. However, he got the ultimate compliment from one of his KKR teammates only.
After the game, KKR all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer hailed Rinku as “Lord” for pulling off a heist for his side.
"It was a nail-biting finish, extremely happy that we won the game. Our coach has always said that we can score 200 on any given day. Honestly, the wicket was quite good to bat. When the target is 200, you can't have silent overs. I was just trying to execute my plans," Venkatesh stated.
"Me and Nitish had a good partnership. Unfortunately, somewhere we lost our way but Lord Rinku saved the day. To be honest, we still believed that we could win. This teaches us that we should never give up until the last ball," he added.
Venkatesh Iyer feels this victory will be a "great morale-booster" for the team.
“This will be a great morale-booster for us. We want to make winning a habit. I haven’t been in great form. Tonight, I went out and played as late as possible. The bowlers were quick and I tried to use their pace, and that worked to my advantage.”
Speaking after the game, GT’s stand-in skipper Rashid Khan also lauded Rinku Singh’s exploits amid immense pressure.
“It's a tough game for us, especially for me as a captain. You need 30 plus in the last over, the same thing happened for us last year when we won. We will learn from it, more importantly a good game of cricket and the fans would have loved it. It was more about what he is most comfortable with, to trust his plans [on Yash Dayal's plans]. Rinku played unbelievable shots and credit goes to him for the way he played and for the way he finished,” Rashid, who claimed a hat-trick in the match, said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
(With PTI Inputs)
