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(L to R) Ravindra Jadeja, Mayank Agarwal and Rishi Dhawan (Pic: IPLT20.com)
Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori believes that Punjab Kings (PBKS) might not have planned to give Rishi Dhawan the final over against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, he stated that the bowler showcased great composure in the crucial over to help his side win the contest.
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo following PBKS’ 11-run victory over CSK, Vettori mentioned that he was surprised to see Dhawan bowling the last over of the run chase. CSK required 27 runs from the final six deliveries.
Nobody dared to write off the defending champions as MS Dhoni was at the crease. The seasoned campaigner started the over with a brilliant six but perished on the third ball. CSK ultimately fell short by 11 runs and lost the closely-fought battle.
Vettori said after the game:
“I can’t imagine that they had planned on giving Rishi Dhawan the final over, it was quite surprising. You could say that he held his nerves to get them through at the end.”
The former cricketer pointed out that Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh bowled brilliantly during the death overs to dent CSK’s chances of chasing the target. He suggested that the two bowlers showed how one should bowl in such crunch situations.
He added:
“Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh did now allow Ravindra Jadeja to score as freely as you would have wanted to. He could have possibly been a little more aggressive but you got to give credit to those bowlers. We have seen how hard it is to execute it at the death overs. They gave a perfect example of how to close out an innings.”
Kagiso Rabada was tasked with bowling the 18th over and he delivered by conceding just six runs. Arshdeep Singh, on the other hand, bowled the 17th and 19th over in which he gave away six and eight runs, respectively.
“He knows what he’s going to do every time” – Daniel Vettori on PBKS pacer Arshdeep Singh
Vettori further added that Arshdeep has contributed significantly to the success of PBKS with his inspiring bowling performances. He lauded the talented youngster for remaining calm and composed even in critical situations.
He noted that the 23-year-old has got different plans for different batters and he has been executing them well in this year’s cash-rich league. Vettori explained:
“Arshdeep is very calm. There’s no interference from the captain and it feels like there’s a bowling plan developed by him or the coaching staff. He knows what he’s going to do every time. He works between straight yorkers and wide yorkers depending on who the batter is. As soon as MS Dhoni came out, he went wide. He tried to cramp Ravindra Jadeja up by going at his feet. He seems unrattled in the tensest of situations.”
Arshdeep emerged as one of the top performers with the ball for PBKS against CSK. The left-armer conceded just 23 runs from his full quota of four overs and also picked up the wicket of Mitchell Santner.
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