'I Didn't Expect...,' Shikhar Dhawan Reveals After His Valiant Knock
Shikhar Dhawan produced a batting masterclass against SRH (IPLT20.com)
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) vanquished Punjab Kings (PBKS) by eight wickets in Match 14 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday. The impressive win marked SRH's first triumph of the tournament, having faced consecutive defeats in their initial two games.
Post the game, PBKS skipper, Shikhar Dhawan, the sole savior of his team's batting line-up, opened up about his team's batting plans and threw light on his own masterful knock 99* which accounted for more than 60% of his team's final score.
The southpaw mentioned that they had a plan in place for the wicket, which was initially challenging due to its seaming, swinging, and low trajectory, and they should have adjusted their gameplay accordingly. He also expressed gratitude for his 99 run knock and shared that he played according to the situation and scored boundaries when necessary.
“I didn't expect I will reach there (99*) at the end of the day. As a batting unit, we had a plan. The way we thought about the wicket, it was a bit different. It was initially seaming and swinging and it was a bit low as well but we should have moulded our game. I am grateful for the 99 and I am very happy. I was playing according to the situation and kept scoring boundaries when it was needed.”
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the match commenced with SunRisers Hyderabad winning the toss and electing to field first. Unfortunately for Punjab Kings, they encountered an insipid start, losing three wickets for a paltry 41 runs in the powerplay overs.
While Dhawan and Sam Curran aimed to stabilize the innings with a 41-run partnership, the latter's exit for 22 runs set the alarm bells ringing, resulting in a collapse of PBKS batters.
However, the PBKS skipper valiantly kept one end aloft and, in the last five overs, built a crucial 55-run partnership with Mohit Rathee. The left-hander remained unbeaten at 99, thereby single-handedly driving the team's total score to a respectable 143/9.
In response, Sunrisers Hyderabad encountered a shaky start, losing their openers Harry Brook and Mayank Agarwal in quick succession, with the scoreboard reading a daunting 45/2 after 8.3 overs.
However, Rahul Tripathi and skipper Aiden Markram displayed an unflinching resolve, forming an indomitable partnership of 100 runs and guiding SRH to a decisive victory with 17 balls to spare.
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