Mumbai (Maharashtra), India, April 1 (ANI): At the non-striker's end, Ryan Rickelton was stunned as Suryakumar Yadav performed his signature move. He doesn’t plan to attempt this shot himself for quite some time.
In the current IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders held at Wankhede Stadium on Monday, Suryakumar asserted himself with an electrifying knock near the conclusion of the game.
In a low-scoring encounter, Mumbai were asked to chase down 117 by the Knight Riders. Rickelton had done most of the job by the time Suryakumar arrived at the crease.
During his second delivery of the evening, Suryakumar smoothly executed his signature move. He didn’t waste any time as he cleared the boundary, lifting the ball over the fine leg fielder directly into the stands.
“I simply told Quinny that SKY is absurd; things I cannot accomplish and dreams beyond my reach,” Rickelton stated following the game. “He’s executed such shots numerous times before, though I won’t be attempting them myself. Nonetheless, I’m pleased to have him as part of our squad.”
Rickelton made his debut in the IPL and struggled to adapt to the challenging environment in India. He did not feature in MI’s initial two matches of the season, managing scores of 13 runs off 7 balls and 6 runs off 9 balls.
As the five-time champions came back to their home ground looking for their initial victory of the season, Rickelton had done his homework to understand what Wankhede's pitch might provide.
As Suryakumar carried out his duties and delivered precise shots, Rickelton remained undefeated at 62 off 41 balls. He also managed to hit the highest number of boundaries and sixes for either team throughout the match.
"I took my time. I just had to lay bat on it. To be honest, the ball was moving around, lucky to have got some runs. Chatting to the guys back in South Africa about the Wankhede, does a bit, it's challenging, but looking forward to getting out again and trying to maximise the pace on offer. It's unbelievable. I have never been to the Wankhede before. The crowd turned the stadium blue, definitely going to enjoy my time here," he said.
Prior to the fierce attack from MI’s batsmen, the bowlers had set the stage for an impressive 8-wicket victory. Rookie Ashwini Kumar bewildered the Knights with his outstanding performance of taking four wickets.
The young player, just 23 years old, had an unforgettable first outing in the IPL and came away with impressive stats of 4/24. He managed to take down seasoned players such as captain Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and powerful hitter Andre Russell.
While Ashwani played a starring role, the rest of the bowlers chipped in with valuable contributions to restrict the Knights to 116.
"I think they executed really well, but the conditions allowed certain tactics to adjust, the spinners tried to bowl in lengths. I think we bowled phenomenally well to restrict such a team to a low score," he added. (ANI)
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