“Main Usse Salah Lene Gaya Tha”: Nitish Rana had Consulted Shardul Thakur Before Giving Last Over to Varun Chakravarthy vs SRH

Needing to defend nine runs in the 20th over in a must-win match against Sunrisers Hyderabad tonight, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Nitish Rana (42) consulted pacer Shardul Thakur (8 & 2/23) before handing the ball to spinner Varun Chakravarthy (1/20). An unconventional decision for most, it was hailed as a “right gamble” by Star Sports’ commentator Ravi Shastri on-air.

The sight of Rana walking towards Thakur before the final over of the match had managed to deceive viewers into thinking that the latter would complete his four-quota for the second time in the season but it wasn’t to be as Rana’s “instinct” was to show faith in Chakravarthy.

“Actually main [Shardul Thakur se] ball dalwaane nahin wala tha. Main usse salah lene gaya tha. Mere ko bhi doubt tha ki main fast bowler ke saath jayun ya spinner ke saath. Phir maine apne best bowler ko back kiya aur usne mujhe do points le kar diye [I had mainly gone to Shardul to seek his advice. I was doubtful between a fast bowler and a spinner. I backed my best bowler and he earned me two points],” Rana told host broadcaster Star Sports during the post-match presentation ceremony.

Having leaked 12 runs in his first over, Chakravarthy was brought into the attack for a second spell when SRH required 38 runs in the last five overs to chase down a 172-run chase. The right-arm mystery spinner giving away only six runs in his second and third overs perhaps inspired his skipper to let him bowl a third over in a row. Chakravarthy, who dismissed Abdul Samad (21) on the third ball of the over, didn’t let Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/33 & 5*) hit a last-ball six to win his second Indian Premier League 2023 Player of the Match award.

Shardul Thakur Motivated Nitish Rana to Follow “Intuition”

Known for his knack of picking wickets at key junctures, Thakur did the exact of what is expected out of him at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday. Speaking to Shastri after the match, Thakur revealed how he motivated Rana to follow his “intuition”.

“Well, captain had a feeling about bowling Varun Chakravarthy. As a player, I just have to give confidence to our captain, [I suggested him to] go with your instincts. There’s no point going in there with any kind of doubt. If he feels that he needs to bowl Varun, that’s it. I said, ‘Go with whatever intuition you are getting’,” Thakur told Star Sports.

Introduced into the attack as a first-change bowler in the fourth over, Thakur struck early by dismissing Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma (9) on the penultimate delivery of his first over. Three spells of an over each saw the 31-year old player picking the all-important wicket of Heinrich Klaasen (36) on the first delivery of his third over.

KKR, who still have a lot of work to do in order to qualify for the playoffs, remain at the eighth position after four wins in their first 10 matches. Rana and his men will next face Punjab Kings at their home ground on Monday.