Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir was impressed with bottom-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) fightback at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in the last-balll thriller which hosts won by just one run. After the match which had a few controversial moments, Gambhir took to X to laud RCB who kept KKR fans on the edge of their seats till the end.
Less than half an hour after KKR’s win, Gambhir to X and posted: “Phenomenal display of character by RCB today!”
Harshit Rana who dismissed Virat Kohli in the powerplay overs revealed his plan against RCB bowlers. He was the most economical KKR bowler conceding 33 runs from his quota of overs and picking up a couple of wickets.
“The plan was to take the pace off and that's what I did. Whenever I have the ball, different thoughts come into my mind, but I try to keep a calm head and execute. Cannot describe what happened in the last over as it was a very intense game till the end,” Rana told the broadcasters.
KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer lauded Andre Russell for providing a couple of breakthroughs when Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar were firing on all cylinders.
“It takes a lot off your body and drains you out completely because you go through so many emotions. It’s tough to stay calm but I’m elated. We got two points on the board and that’s all that matters. It’s extremely tough when the pressure is on, I feel that every individual should put their hands up and take the responsibility. Russell did that by picking up two wickets and completely changed the game in our favor, that kind of attitude is needed in the team,” he said in the post-match presentation.
Iyer reiterated that cricket is a funny game and revealed what went through his mind in the last over bowler by Mitchell Starc where Karn Sharma hit three sixes.
“It’s a funny game, when you need 18 runs off 6 balls, the pressure is on the bowler. One six here and there, it completely changes the momentum. It is important that we maintain our calmness and stay in the present and make the batter hit where you want them to hit. We need to stick to our routines and processes and see to it that we execute the things we want,” he added.
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