NEWS
Follow UsLucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul was at a loss for words in the aftermath of his side’s inexplicable collapse and stated that he had ‘no idea’ how his side did not end up beating the Titans on Saturday, after, at one point, looking like they’d sealed the game for good.
Chasing 136 on a slow and low Lucknow wicket, LSG were cruising at 105/1, at which point they needed just 31 runs off the remaining 36 balls with nine wickets remaining. They had two set batters (Rahul 57* and Krunal 23*) at the crease and victory, at that point, really looked like a formality.
However, what should have been a regulation LSG win instead turned into one of the biggest chokes in T20 history as the home side, astonishingly, added just 23 more runs for the loss of six wickets to lose the contest by seven runs.
At the post-match presentation, a stunned Rahul struggled to process what had happened.
“I don't know how it has happened. It happened too fast. I can't put a finger on where we let the game slip, which was in our pocket,” Rahul said.
“We were quite brilliant with the ball and in the field. 135 is probably par or 10 under par. We used the conditions well. We started pretty well with the bat too. I still can't say what happened.”
Rahul admitted that the defeat will sting for a while, but insisted that it will be imperative for his side to put the disappointment behind and move on as quickly as possible.
“These things happen, we'll have to take it on the chin. At the end of the day it is just a game, we still have four wins in seven, but this is going to sting for a while.”
Rahul top-scored for Lucknow on the night with 68, but his strike rate once again came under the scanner as he batted an eye-watering 61 balls to amass the same. Few would have batted an eye had Rahul taken the side over the line but, not for the first time, he perished at just the wrong time. Rahul was outfoxed by Mohit Sharma in the final over but when that happened, the equation had turned into 10 off 4 balls from 31 off 36.
The skipper rued not taking more chances towards the end and asserted that taking the game deep was not a pre-planned tactic from his end.
“We were well ahead in the game, I wasn't trying to bat really deep, I was still trying to take the bowlers on that I fancy. They bowled three good overs between Noor and Jayant. Probably should have taken a couple more chances.”
With the wicket proving to be tricky for incoming batters, Rahul bemoaned the inability of set batters, himself included, to get the side over the line.
“Not an easy wicket for new batters to come in. Set batters need to finish the game. We missed some boundary opportunities in the end. We should have got it done,” Rahul said.
