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Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Shashank Singh made a resounding statement after leading his franchise to a thrilling victory over the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on April 4 (Thursday). The explosive right-handed batter played some sumptuous shots and timed the sublimely during his unbeaten knock of 61 runs off 29 balls. During his knock, Shashank powered six fours and four sixes to lead Punjab Kings to a three-wicket win.
For his stupendous match-winning knock, Shashank was awarded the Man of the Match award. After the game, Shashank Singh spoke about his knock and oozed confidence, calling himself the 'best' in the world. Shashank also thanked the owners and the coaching staff for backing him.
“Still trying to sink in. Visualised all these things, but when it turned into reality, proud of the effort. Coach told me to react to the ball. The wicket is very good, the bounce was good. 200 scored by both teams, so the wicket was fantastic. They (Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mohit Sharma) are the legends of the game, but when I go to bat I think I am the best. You get experience, couldn't get a lot of matches before. Here the owners and coaching staff backed me. I was very confident,” Shashank told the broadcasters at the post-match presentation, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Shashank buries auction drama
Shashank put to rest the controversy that emerged during the mini-auction in December last year, which revealed that Punjab Kings had accidentally purchased him. In their pursuit of a 200-run target, the Punjab Kings needed a strong start from their leading batters, which unfortunately didn't materialise. Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed for just one run. Prabhsimran Singh, however, came out swinging, swiftly scoring 35 runs off 24 balls, including five boundaries and a six.
Jonny Bairstow contributed with 22 runs from 13 balls until he was outsmarted by a brilliant delivery from Noor Ahmad, who also took Prabhsimran's wicket.
The game saw a turning point when Ashutosh Sharma, entering as the Impact Sub, formed a vital 43-run partnership with Shashank for the seventh wicket in just 22 balls, edging the Kings closer to victory. Ashutosh scored a quick 31 off 17 balls, hitting three fours and a six, before being dismissed. With seven runs needed in the final over, Shashank steered his team across the finish line.
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