Chennai, May 18 (PTI): Sunrisers Hyderabad top-order batter Ishan Kishan on Monday said he was “blessed from the upstairs” as the family of his bereaved cousin who lost his sister recently watched him play a match-winning knock in the IPL match against Chennai Super Kings here.
Kishan smashed 70 off 47 balls to help SRH chase down the target of 181 for a five-wicket win against CSK and qualify for the IPL play-offs.
“I would just say one thing. Sometimes I feel it’s also about motivation, and for me, my motivation was today, my cousin is just standing there. He lost his sister. It was a tough time in our family and they are watching the match for the first time here. So I just wanted to finish the game for them,” Kishan said at the post-match presentation.
“I’m glad they were here to witness this innings, and I was able to finish this game. I was just feeling blessed from upstairs. I had that sense of power, like, yes, I can do it if I’m there for the team. We will qualify, especially. He’ll be happy about it.” He said he knew the chase of 181 would be tough on the Chepauk wicket.
“When I was keeping, I felt the wicket was not easy — especially when the spinners were bowling, and the slower balls working really well. I had to just play till the last over. It was just about being there and believing in yourself. You cannot doubt yourself at any time. Being in the middle, it’s difficult for the bowlers to get it right every time.
“We both (me and Heinrich Klaasen) were just playing our shots,” he added when asked what transpired between them in the 75-run stand for the third wicket that set up the win.
SRH captain Pat Cummins, who took three wickets for 28 in the CSK innings, lauded the duo of Kishan and Klaasen for setting up the win.
“(It was a) pretty tough wicket to bat. That partnership (between Kishan and Klaasen) was really tough. They just chose their match-ups, and played some ridiculous shots.
“When we were bowling, we felt like it was staying a bit low. (It) felt like it came down to one or two partnerships, felt like it was round about par. Can’t give yourself a better chance than what we have.” Talking about the play-offs, he said, “The real stuff starts now. There’s always a few things (to work on). Overall, really happy.” Klaasen, who took the Orange Cap after scoring 555 runs from 13 matches, admitted that it was a difficult chase for his side.
“The first couple of balls I blocked, and I said ‘no, I can’t play like this’. The pitched stayed low. It was a little bit up and down. It’s not an easy place to play cricket.
“If we win the last game, I think we can make it one or two (on the points table).” CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said he was proud of the team’s efforts despite missing out on a few key players.
“(It was a) good game of cricket. We were in the game until the second last over. Good T20 pitch. Didn’t change over the course of the game. Just missed out on a few. Cashing in on the opportunity (could have been done).
“Still, given the team we had, and limited squad, I’m still proud and feel we did well. Lot of positives, to be honest. Sanju (Samson) has been playing really well for us. Missed out on a few key players. Obviously depends on a lot of factors.” Gaikwad said everyone gave their heart out and the side did much better than last year. PTI PDS PDS DDV
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