Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) seasoned pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar revealed that he wasn't overly concerned with the outcome during the final over in the IPL 2024's clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR). His focus was solely on executing two good deliveries after his heroics secured a dramatic one-run victory for SRH in the last ball of the IPL match against RR. The star pacer was adjudged the Player of the Match for his brilliant spell of 3 for 41.
Bhuvneshwar's top-notch spell breaks RR's back
Bhuvneshwar had rattled Rajasthan's chase of 202 right from the start. He dismissed the dangerous Jos Buttler for a golden duck, with a nick to the wide slip fielder. Sanju Samson, the Royals' captain, also fell victim to Bhuvneshwar's bowling, as an inswinger sent his stumps flying. With the match hanging in the balance in the final over, Rajasthan needed just 12 runs for victory. However, Bhuvneshwar held his nerve and trapped Rovman Powell lbw with the last ball, restricting the Royals to 200 for 7 and securing a thrilling win for the Sunrisers. Earlier, The Sunrisers Hyderabad rode on half-centurion knocks from both Travis Head and Nitish Reddy to set a strong target of 202 runs.
Bhuvneshwar reveals his thought process in last over
“I wasn’t thinking much about the result in the last over. There was no discussion in the last over, was just focussed on the process. Was thinking just about bowling two good balls, anything could have happened,” Bhuvneshwar said at the post-match presentation.
“I wasn’t thinking much, was just focused on the process. The ball swung so much, can’t really pinpoint, really enjoyed it. Luckily got wickets today. When the season started my thought process was different, but it changed when the batters played in such a way,” he added.
How the RR's chase unfolded?
The chase of 202 by Rajasthan Royals started disastrously. Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck twice in the very first over, dismissing the openers cheaply. This put immense pressure on RR's batting lineup. However, the tide seemed to turn for Rajasthan Royals 10 overs later. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag stitched together a crucial partnership of 134 runs off just 78 deliveries, ensuring no further wickets fell for a significant period. This put RR back in the driver's seat.
The momentum shifted again when the partnership ended. Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer kept the chase alive, but wickets started to tumble in the later overs. T Natarajan dismissed Hetmyer in the 18th, followed by Dhruv Jurel's dismissal by Pat Cummins in the 19th.
With just 13 runs needed off the final over, the tension was palpable. Bhuvneshwar started the over by bowling to R Ashwin, who managed to get a single. The following two balls were yorkers, with Powell digging out the second for two runs and sending the third for four. This left RR needing just six runs from three balls. Incredibly, Bhuvneshwar then produced two more perfect yorkers, restricting RR to two runs each. With two runs needed off the last ball, Bhuvneshwar bowled a full toss. Powell missed the swing and was adjudged LBW. Although Powell reviewed the decision, replays confirmed the dismissal, sealing a thrilling one-run victory for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Bhuvneshwar's incredible last over, capped off with the crucial wicket, secured a dramatic win for his team.
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