It was in the seventh over of Kolkata Knight Riders’ tun-chase on Saturday when Sunrisers Hyderabad achieved their high point of the match....
It was in the seventh over of Kolkata Knight Riders’ tun-chase on Saturday when Sunrisers Hyderabad achieved their high point of the match. Rashid Khan had just begun his spell and removed Dinesh Karthik for a duck off his second delivery.
In the last six matches of this Indian Premier League, the chasing team had lost. The Sunrisers had only posted 142/4 but with KKR at 53/3 after losing two quick wickets, SRH knew they could force a collapse if the pressure could be sustained.
If.
Shubman Gill, however, had other ideas.
The Indian youngster was joined then by Eoin Morgan, England’s World Cup-winning white-ball captain, who has a penchant for taking the attack to the opposition more often than not. He survived a couple of LBW appeals by Rashid first up, before almost holing out to deep square-leg in the next over by Mohammad Nabi.
What the Knight Riders needed at that point was a calm, calculated approach. The required rate was well within control and they had to focus on seeing out the Afghan spin-twins with one good partnership.
The need of the hour was maturity, and they got just that from 21-year-old Gill.
Opening the innings, Gill had reached 25 off 21, with three fours and a six, by the time Karthik...
