Chennai Super Kings (CSK) clinched a nerve-jangling five-wicket win (DLS method) against Gujarat Titans on May 29 (Monday) at the Narendra Modi Stadium and clinched the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 title. Franchise's stylish opening batter Devon Conway, who played a crucial knock of 47 runs off 25 balls, bagged the Man of the Match award. After winning the final and claiming the Man of the Match award, an ecstatic Conway claimed that the victory was the greatest win of his career.
"It was a long time to wait, very nervous but Rutu (Gaikwad) and I plotted how we'll go about it. Personally, is the greatest win in my career. IPL final, doesn't get bigger than that. Lot of credit to Mike Hussey, fellow left-handed player. Nice to be in his shoes," said Conway, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Conway's statement received a ton of criticism, especially from the people in New Zealand. The left-handed batter was part of the New Zealand side that won the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) in 2021. Thus, Conway claiming IPL win as his greatest didn't sit right with New Zealand fans. Upon receiving backlash, Conway came out and backtracked on his earlier statement.
"I think it's the best T20 victory of my career, I wouldn't say it's overall my best. But certainly best T20 victory or achievement in my career," Conway told RNZ.
"I think the test championship final, winning that for New Zealand was certainly very, very special," he added.
Conway played a pivotal role in CSK's title triumph. His opening partnership with Ruturaj Gaikwad laid the foundation for the middle-order batters in almost every game of the tournament. The southpaw finished the competition as the third-highest run-getter. He aggregated 672 runs in 16 matches at a healthy strike rate of 139.71.
Conway spoke about his experience of playing in IPL 2023 and how being backed by the team management helped him put the best foot forward.
"It was a great experience, I was fortunate enough to get a few games towards the back end of the IPL last year, so I got a taste of what it's like, what the pressure is like, what the team expects of me as a player batting in the top order," he said.
"Getting that backing (to open) from the first game throughout this campaign certainly helped me put my best foot forward and create momentum throughout the tournament," the CSK batter added.
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