It was Rahul Tripathi, who held his nerves in the last over to ensure Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) berth in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
Chasing a low total of 136 against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Qualifiers 2 of the IPL in Sharjah, KKR had the fan's heart in their mouth after losing six wickets for seven runs in 22 balls to help Delhi return in the game. But, it was the 30-year-old batter, who closed the deal for Kolkata by hitting R.Ashwin for a six in the penultimate ball, denying the off-spinner his hat-trick and Delhi the chance of reaching their consecutive IPL finals.
Reflecting on the win and reaching the finals of the IPL, Tripathi said,
“The win for the team was very important. There were one or two tough overs, but I never thought it would go so deep in the end. I am glad we won the game. The 18th over was a great one from Rabada. I knew that we had to connect with just one off the spinner and I am glad it came off, said Tripathi.
On being asked about his decision to farm the strike for the final two deliveries, the right-handed batter talked about his plan.
“That was the plan. But if we could find a small gap for a possible two, we were going to run. I was going to come back for the second, but we were running only if there was two. It was difficult upon in straight away- the ball was kept low and was difficult to put away. I kept believing in myself that we are just one hit away,” added Rahul.
Rahul, who finished the match with 12 not out off 11 balls, also summarized the team’s journey and their turnaround in the UAE leg. The batter credited captain Morgan and coach Brendon McCullum for their comeback in the second phase of the cash-rich league.
“It’s been a great journey for us after the first phase when we were a little down. We were told that we have to hit the ground running in the second phase. We believed in ourselves and the approach given by Eoin and the coach helped us with the positive approach,” Tripathi concluded.
