Lucknow, May 17 (IANS) Lucknow Super Giants captain Krunal Pandya applauded left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan for being mentally strong to come out on top of a high-pressure situation of defending 11 runs in the final over against Mumbai Indians.
Playing just his second match of 2023 IPL, Mohsin successfully defended 11 runs off the final over against the pair of Tim David and Cameron Green as Lucknow got over the line by five runs and inched closer to sealing a spot in the playoffs by now being at third place in the points table.
“Mohsin is someone who has a really, really big heart. And if you have a big heart in this sport, you go a long way. And that is what Mohsin is all about. Really happy for him. He has not played any cricket in the last one year.”
“He went through a very serious surgery. And then to come here and straightaway play IPL in such a high-pressure situation, that shows how strong mentally he is. He has a big heart and when someone has a big heart, the sky is the limit,” said Krunal after the match ended.
Krunal, who had to retire hurt while batting, also pointed out that Lucknow never had it easy to get a win over Mumbai in what was their last league match at home. “I was having cramps and I felt like I pulled a muscle. Anything for the team, I have been a team player. Really happy.”
“It has not been easy for us. Though we have played some good cricket, the results haven’t been in our favour. Fans have supported us and good to give them a win.”
Mumbai’s playoffs hopes, despite not losing a wicket in the power-play in the chase of 178, have now suffered a serious dent. They are now left dependent on other results to go in their favour for the chance to advance to the playoffs even if they emerge victorious over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday afternoon.
Captain Rohit Sharma admitted that Mumbai lost their way in the second half of the chase, apart from giving away 54 runs in the last three overs. “We assessed the pitch well, it wasn’t a pitch like the earlier one. It was good to bat on. But we lost our way in the second half. In hindsight, we gave away too many runs at the back end. The last three overs went for a few. The way we had started, we were in a good position to chase that target.”
“We just lost the game. We didn’t play well enough to win. There were moments we didn’t win. Unfortunate, but we need to keep our heads high. I don’t know how the calculation works. We have to come out and win that game (on Sunday).”
–IANS
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