Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper, Shreyas Iyer, openly acknowledged his jittery nerves as Sunrisers Hyderabad's Heinrich Klaasen unleashed a fiery onslaught in pursuit of a challenging 209-run target during an IPL clash. Despite Klaasen's valiant effort, scoring 63 off just 29 balls, SRH fell short by a mere four runs.
"I had butterflies in my stomach from the 17th over onwards! Honestly, I felt anything could happen in the last over," confessed Iyer.
With SRH needing 13 runs off the final over, the odds seemed stacked in their favor with Klaasen and Shahbaz Ahmed at the crease. However, Iyer entrusted the ball to young Harshit Rana, who delivered brilliantly by dismissing both Klaasen and Ahmed, sealing the victory for KKR.
"I sensed Harshit's nervousness as he took the ball for the last over. I reassured him, 'Even if we lose, it's okay.' I tried to calm his nerves as much as possible. Narine and Russell's experience proved invaluable. Russell's all-around performance was exceptional," Iyer remarked.
Reflecting on the match, SRH skipper Pat Cummins expressed astonishment at how close they came to chasing down the imposing total. He praised Klaasen and Ahmed for their spirited efforts but lamented falling short despite a valiant performance.
"Andre Russell's explosive batting turned the game in KKR's favor," Cummins admitted. Russell's blistering 64 off 25 balls, featuring seven sixes and three fours, proved decisive in the outcome.
"Executing plans against someone like Russell is challenging. Despite our efforts, he proved to be a tough opponent," Cummins concluded, acknowledging the difficulty of bowling to a player of Russell's caliber.
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