IPL 2022 | Bhanuka Rajapaksa reveals his plan during his 110-run stand with Shikhar Dhawan against CSK
Punjab Kings (PBKS) middle-order batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa has revealed that the pitch at the Wankhede stadium during Monday's fixture against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) wasn't the 'greatest wicket to bat on' initially.
Rajapaksa and Shikhar Dhawan's 110 run-stand for the 2nd wicket set the cornerstone for Punjab as they eventually posted 187/4 in 20 overs.
The Sri Lankan hitter, who scored 42 off 32 deliveries, joined Dhawan after the fall of Mayank Agarwal's wicket in the last over of the powerplay, which saw PBKS score just 37 runs.
The duo upped the tempo during the middle-overs, with Dhawan using his surgical precision to find the gaps to great effect. Meanwhile, Rajapaksa played some audacious strokes, adding to CSK's misery.
Speaking to the reporters at the end of the game, the Lankan southpaw described the pitch as tough at the start, adding that they planned to target the shorter side for boundaries besides regular strike rotation.
He also heaped high praise on Dhawan, who batted through the innings for a 59-ball 88. During the innings, the southpaw also became the 2nd batsman to breach the 6000-run mark in IPL history.
"It was not the greatest wicket to bat on when we started. We had a shorter side, so we knew what we had to do. We had a plan. All credit to Shikhar for how he batted, paced his innings, and talked to me," said Rajapaksa, as quoted by ANI.
"We had a plan to get a boundary ball and rotate the strike. Everything happened as per the plan. The Punjab way is the attacking way. We plan to come hard at bowlers. However, we had to change our ways today," he added.
The Colombo-born further added that since the wicket was two-paced, he allowed the ball to come to him rather than rushing into strokes.
"The more I waited, the more I could place the ball through gaps, the more I played with the middle of the bat," Rajapaksa continued.
The total of 187 proved to be more than enough even though Ambati Rayudu kept CSK in the hunt for most parts of the run-chase courtesy of a breathtaking 39-ball 78.
However, lack of support from the other end and some pretty good death bowling from Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada ensured that PBKS romped home with 11 runs still in the bank.
 "Yash Mittal")
