Captain’s knocks from both KL Rahul and Sanju Samson helped make the Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals IPL 2021 showdown on Monday night an extremely interesting affair.
After posting 221/6 in their 20 overs, Punjab saw Samson, RR’s number three batter, play on till the very last ball of the innings and take the match down to the wire.
13 were needed off the last over as Samson had Chris Morris for company and KL Rahul handed the ball to young Arshdeep Singh.
After Samson hit a six off the fourth delivery, five runs were needed off the last 2 deliveries and on the penultimate ball, Samson hit the ball down the ground to wide long-off and while Morris had almost run to the other end of the pitch, Samson sent him back refusing to take a run.
The broadcast showed Morris visibly surprised at his skipper’s call but since the South African bowler had faced just two deliveries in that match till then, scoring one run, it seemed like the better option for Rajasthan.
Had Samson run that run, Morris would have needed to hit a boundary to win the match but as the skipper stayed at the crease, he needed to hit a six to win the game or somehow get five runs off the last ball to tie the match and take it to the superover.
He connected well with the Arshdeep delivery and the ball went high into the air, looking like it would cross the boundary line. But as it started losing momentum, the ball landed right into Deepak Hooda’s hands, before the boundary line.
Punjab Kings curbing last season’s trend and starting IPL 2021 with a win in a close encounter as Rajasthan Royals lost the match by four runs.
“I don’t have words to explain my feelings. Would have loved to finish it off for my team. I don’t think I could have done better than that. I thought I timed it well for a six but unfortunately couldn’t clear the man in the deep,” said a disappointed Sanju after the match.
Sanga Applauds Sanju’s Call
While many on social media called out the RR skipper for his ‘selfish’ call, Rajasthan Royal’s Director of Cricket chose to praise the 26-year-old’s self-belief.
"I think Sanju backed himself to get the job done and he nearly did. He was five or six yards short of hitting the last ball for a six and sometimes when you know you're hitting the ball well and you're in form and you believe that you can do it, you've got to take that responsibility. And it was really encouraging to see Sanju do that,” said Sanga.
"We can always talk about a missed single here or there but the crucial thing for me is the players' belief in attitude and commitment and they know what their strengths are. And Sanju took it upon himself to finish that game and he just fell a few yards short. That happens, but the next time I believe he'll hit it that 10 yards further to win us the game."
Fellow Cricketers too Celebrate Sanju
But... Some Fans Unhappy
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