Riding on the back of Avesh Khan’s four wickets for 24 runs, newcomers Lucknow Supergiants put the brakes on Sunrisers Hyderabad’s chase and won the hard-fought match by 12 runs. Avesh’s effort helped LSG defend 169 for seven, restricting SRH to 157 for nine, to give the league debutantes their second win of the season.
The pacer initially took the all-important wicket of Sunrisers’ captain Kane Williamson. He also claimed the wicket of Abhishek Sharma and followed it up with the wicket of Nicholas Pooran who was starting to look dangerous, before dismissing Abdul Samad for a duck.
“In IPL, as a bowler there will be pressure on you in every match and how you handle that is very important. I never think that I am the main bowler of the team. I always try to take wickets for the team,” Avesh said in a post-match press conference.
“If I start thinking that I am the main bowler, I will take pressure upon myself, which is unnecessary.”
In his first match for the Lucknow-based franchise, that bought him in the auction for a whopping Rs 10 Crore, he failed to defend 10 in the last over against Gujarat Titans. Although he admitted to feeling disappointed about the result, he was confident of turning things around in the remaining matches.
“I am very happy to contribute to the winning cause. In the first match I got an opportunity to save 11 runs in one over which I couldn’t. Today I was focused on taking wickets,” he said.
“I knew there are 14 matches in the IPL, and there would be opportunities again, so I have to be ready for them.”
He also credited team mentor Gautam Gambhir for giving him a pep talk and advice during the strategic time-out before bowling out the remaining two overs during which he picked up the wickets of Pooran and Samad.
On the conversation with Gambhir, Avesh said, “He told me, ‘Just bowl your best ball. Just pick your best ball, back yourself, execute it and win us the match.’ He always keeps things simple.”
“He has played cricket for so long and has been captain in the IPL. He knows how to talk to the players and get the job done well.”
Quotes courtesy: PTI
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