Aakash Chopra praised Rahul Tripathi for maintaining his cool while guiding the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL 2021 final.
In yesterday night’s Qualifier 2 match against the Delhi Capitals, KKR needed seven runs off Ravichandran Ashwin’s penultimate over (DC). After only a single was struck off the first two balls. They lost the wickets of Shakib Al Hasan and Sunil Narine off successive deliveries.
Tripathi next blasted Ashwin for a six, advancing the Kolkata-based team to their third IPL final. Chopra praised Tripathi for coming to the team’s rescue. After they nearly botched an easy run chase in a video posted on his YouTube channel, speaking about KKR’s batting performance.
“The drama at the end was epic. The wickets kept on falling. In the end, you needed six runs off two balls and Rahul Tripathi? hit a six straight down the ground. Tripathi Ji ki lathi mein dum hai, and I am so happy seeing him because he is very dear to me.” Chopra said
“He has not played for India, not sure whether he will play or not. But the IPL has made him a star. This is where talent meets opportunity. He was absolutely exceptional one more time, soaked in all the pressure and hit a six at the end to help his team win.” Chopra elaborated
Dinesh Karthik
With nine wickets in hand, KKR needed just 13 runs off the last 25 deliveries, but they lost a flurry of quick wickets. As KKR made heavy weather of what should have been a simple chase, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Shakib Al Hasan, and Sunil Narine all failed to open their accounts.
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