Sanjay Manjrekar lauded Yuzvendra Chahal’s outstanding bowling performance against the Kolkata Knight Riders last night. The leg spinner’s bowling, he said, was the reason the match went to the final over.
The Eoin Morgan-led squad defeated the RCB by four wickets to qualify for the 2021 IPL Qualifier 2. Kohli chose to defend the total in the second innings after winning the toss. KKR continued to take wickets at regular intervals, limiting Kohli’s side to 138 in the first innings.
During the chase, the KKR batters got off to a good start and had a good powerplay. KKR eventually won in Sharjah, thanks to an all-important cameo from Sunil Narine.
There was one player, however, who made the chase difficult for the KKR batsmen and was instrumental in keeping RCB in contention to win. Yuzvendra Chahal’s 4-0-16-2 figure was good for his team. At critical times in the game, the 31-year-old leggie despatched two in-form hitters in Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana. All of his efforts, however, were in vain because he didn’t receive enough support from his team’s fourth and fifth bowlers. Sanjay Manjrekar
“If the target was higher, KKR batters would’ve taken even more chances against Chahal. This shows how well he’s performing. It seemed like no one was trying to take him on. KKR team management would’ve asked the batters to play safe against Chahal. And the main reason why this match went to the last over was because of him.” he said
Rahul Tripathi
“Rahul Tripathi went early against Chahal and Nitish Rana, who I think has the best shot-making form in his entire squad, went on to hit him and get caught on the boundary. So, these 2 big wickets were very crucial for RCB,” he added
After his outstanding bowling performance in the UAE, it remains to be seen whether the leg-spinner would be picked in India’s T20 World Cup roster. BCCI selectors have until October 15 to make any changes to the 15-man roster.