With 19 runs to defend in the final over, Punjab Kings skipper Mayank Agarwal handed the ball to Odean Smith. The Caribbean all-rounder has been a trusted campaigner with the bat but it was to be seen how he would deliver with the ball in such a crunch situation.
Smith started decently as the first ball of the 20th over witnessed Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya getting run out. With a crucial wicket falling, PBKS might have thought of easily clinching the game, but Rahul Tewatia dashed their hopes. With 12 runs required off the last two balls, the 28-year-old whacked a couple of sixes and took his team to a third straight win in the tournament.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Smith and the rest of the PBKS players but skipper Mayank Agarwal looked at the positives of the game. In a conversation with the broadcasters after the loss, the Punjab skipper said anything would have happened in the final over, adding that the side backs Smith a ‘hundred percent’.
“Last over could have been anyone’s game. We totally back Odean, it’s fine, he probably had a hard game but that’s fine. We back him a 100%. It’s just a game of cricket, it could be a bitter one to swallow but it’s fine. The talk in the group is we always back the guys. If he has a bad day, he has a bad day, no worries, we back him 100%,” said Mayank.
Punjab Kings had really gotten closer to victory before Tewatia showed his prowess. Mayank lauded the efforts of his teammates and said they fought really very hard.
“It was a tough game but we really fought hard. We were 5-7 runs short but we pulled it back after the start they had. There were a lot of positives for us. We did really well to get ourselves to that score after losing so many wickets, so we were very happy with that. We fought really hard on the field. It was great execution by both of them (Rabada and Arshdeep), a fantastic effort by them to pull the game, they really got us in the game,” said Mayank.
Punjab Kings will now face Mumbai Indians in their next fixture on April 13 at the MCA Stadium in Pune.
