Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 27 : Following his side's eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match, Punjab Kings batter Jonny Bairstow lauded teammate and uncapped Indian batter Shashank Singh for his clean striking, calling him a 'special player'.
Bairstow and Shashank Singh's explosive knocks propelled PBKS to a historic finish as they helped their side beat Kolkata by eight wickets and chased down the target of 262 runs with eight balls left, making it the highest-ever run-chase in not only the IPL but the entirety of T20 cricket.
Following the game in a video posted by the Indian Premier League (IPL) official X (formerly Twitter handle, Bairstow lavished praises on Shashank, lauding him for his finishing, strike rate and hitting.
"The way Shashank came in there and finished off the innings shows that he is special. He is a lovely guy. He has played some special innings for us. The way he hit with such cleanliness was special," said Bairstow.
https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1784087090772500493
Shashank, an uncapped 32-year-old batter from Chhattisgarh is one of the biggest success stories of this season. Once an 'accidental buy' for Punjab during the auction last year due to a mix-up involving another Bengal player sharing the same name, Shashank has 'accidentally' become the find of the season for Punjab, whose top-order batters have underperformed this season. His positive mindset, clean-hitting, and ability to tonk sixes from ball one have won the fans over.
In nine matches, he has made 263 runs at an average of 65.75 and a strike rate of over 182, with two half-centuries. His best score is 68*.
After receiving such praises from the English star, Shashank responded, "Jonny, I love you. Keep batting this way and keep entertaining. The whole world is enjoying your batting." To this, Bairstow replied, "Cheers mate, you're a special batter. Lovely to bat with you and your strike Rate is unbelievable".
Bairstow said that scoring his second IPL century is special for him.
"I love playing in this competition," he added.
Shashank also said that the team knew that such a knock from Bairstow was coming after the batter underwent a slump in form during the first half of the tournament.
"We knew this innings was coming. The way he built his innings was great. He showed great calm and composure. When Prabhsimran (Singh) was batting, he took the backseat. But after that, he took his chances," said Shashank.
Talking about the conversations he and Bairstow had, Shashank revealed that they both had decided that no one other than them should finish the match for Punjab, which was filled with belief despite such a big task in their hands.
"There were positive vibes in the dressing room. The openers, bowlers and support staff not even for a second were tensed, we all had belief that we could chase," he added.
Expanding on Shashank's words, Bairstow said that it was one of those days when the players needed a bit of luck to chase down the target.
"KKR played well to score 261 runs. The way we played in the powerplay was special and from there we were able to kick on," he added.
Coming to the match, Punjab sent Kolkata to bat first after winning the toss. Following this, Sunil Narine (71 in 32 balls, with nine fours and four sixes) and Philip Salt (75 in 37 balls, with six sixes) delighted the Eden Gardens crowd with an exhilarating batting display and obliterated Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowlers to power KKR to 261/6 in 20 overs.
Arshdeep Singh led the PBKS bowling unit after he picked up two wickets.
During the run chase, Jonny Bairstow (108), Prabhsimran Singh (54 in 20 balls, with four boundaries and five sixes) and Shashank Singh (68* in 28 balls, with two fours and eight sixes) played an unbeaten knock to chase down the massive target with eight balls to spare and script history.
Narine was the only wicket-taker for the KKR.
Bairstow took home the 'Player of the Match' award.
Out of eight matches, KKR has registered five victories, collecting 10 points in the IPL 2024 standings, staying at the number 2 position. Meanwhile, Punjab holds the eighth place with six points after winning three of nine games.
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