Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Kartik Tyagi showed great composure in the last over of the innings against Punjab Kings in Dubai after he stole away a win from the jaws of defeat for his side.
On, 21 September, Tuesday night, the right-arm bowler defended 4 runs in the final over and also picked up a couple of wickets during the course that included the scalp Nicholas Pooran who had looked good throughout the innings.
Chasing 186 in 20 overs, the Punjab Kings were off to a flying start after captain KL Rahul and his opening partner Mayank Agarwal put up 120 runs on the board before Rahul departed for 49 off 33 in the 12the over.
Agarwal, however, continued with his good form and notched up a half-century before he was undone for a 43-ball 57 by Rahul Tewatia after getting caught by Liam Livingstone.
Punjab then had debutant Aiden Markram and Pooran in the middle and the two batters compiled a partnership of 57 runs.
In an incredible turnaround to the game, needing just 10 runs from the last 15 balls, the Punjab batsmen faltered against some measured bowling from Mustafizur Rahman and then Kartik Tyagi in the final over. Pooran was dismissed for 32 off 22 by Tyagi in the third ball of the final over, caught behind by Sanju Samson. Tyagi then followed it up with another wicket of Deepak Hooda who didn’t trouble the scorers and was sent back for a two-ball duck. Tyagi eventually returned with figures of 2/29 in 4 overs as RR won the match by 2 runs.
Earlier, the Rajasthan Royals were cruising to a big total before Arshdeep and Mohammed Shami put a halt on their scoring rate and pulled back the things in the death overs. While Arshdeep scalped a five-wicket haul, Shami on the other side, picked up three wickets as RR were bundled out for 185 in 20 overs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored for the Royals with 49 off 36 while Mahipal Lomror hammered 43 in just 17 deliveries that included four maximums.
The win in this match has provided RR with two crucial points and they have now won four matches out of the eight that they have played. Punjab suffered their sixth defeat in the nine matches that they have featured in.
Captains Comments
Punjab captain KL Rahul expressed his disappointment at the defeat and admitted that the side needs to handle pressure situations in a better way.
“It's a tough one to swallow. We have been a team that has experienced games like these before. We need to see how we can handle pressure better,” he said in the post-match presentation.
RR skipper Sanju Samson put his weight behind the bowling unit and said that he trusts his bowlers. “Cricket is a funny game right. We just kept fighting and believing. I always believe in my bowlers, want to keep fighting and that's why I kept those two overs till the end,” he said.
Experts Opinion
Commentator Harsha Bhogle lavished praise on Kartik Tyagi and the way he defended four runs in the last over.
“An over for the ages from Kartik Tyagi! Defends 4 after the Fizz had delivered a 4 run over. Incredible finish. How could Punjab Kings mess this up!” He tweeted.
Former India batsman Aakash Chopra pointed out that despite getting a perfect start, Punjab Kings lost their way.
“It’s not often that you have a 120 run opening partnership. Lose only 4 wickets. Fielding team drops 4 catches. And you still lose the game by 2 runs in a chase. It ain’t over till,” he tweeted.
India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah hailed Tyagi for maintaining his cool under a pressure situation.
“What an over, Kartik Tyagi! To maintain a cool head under that kind of pressure and to get the job done, great stuff, very impressive!” Bumrah wrote on Twitter.
Former India player Irfan Pathan lauded the youngster for the way he handled pressure in the last over and anchored his side to an important win. “Karthik Tyagi you beauty,” Irfan tweeted.
Spinner Harbhajan Singh praised for bowling an “unbelievable” last over to win the match for his side. “What a game… unbelievable last over by #Kartiktyagi He won it for Rajasthan Royals. IPL cricket at its best,” Harbhajan wrote on Twitter.
RR will now face Delhi Capitals in Abu Dhabi while Punjab Kings will be up against SRH in Sharjah on Saturday in their next respective games.