(Cricket News) After a dramatic entry to the Punjab Kings side, Shashank Singh proved his worth against the Gujarat Titans playing a match winning knock. Chasing a total of 200, Shashank scored a wonderful 61 to take his side home alongside Ashutosh Sharma.
After buying him for his base price of Rs 20 lakh at the auction, Punjab Kings were almost on the verge of disowning him thinking that they had bought a wrong player. There is another cricketer with the same name in the domestic circuit and there was some confusion and Punjab had to clarify later. But their mistake has now turned out to be an asset for their side.
The 32-year-old, Shashank did not start off the tournament that well, failing to make a mark in the initial 3 games, but he made sure that he take the redemption after all the drama that happened leading up to the season.
“Shashank came in and played really well. The way Shashank hit those sixes, it was brilliant, the way he hit the ball, it looked effortless. He started from No. 7 and is now showing his positive mindset. He is playing in the IPL after a long time and he played so well,” Dhawan said after the match.
Chasing a big total, Punjab never looked comfortable. They kept of loosing wickets and were staring at yet another defeat after being reduced to 111 for 5. Shashank then decided to counter attack and scored a flurry of boundaries to bring the Kings back in the game. Batting brilliantly he took the target to seven in the final over in which he finished the job off the penultimate delivery.
Ashutosh Sharma, playing his first game came in as an impact player and accompanied Shashank really well to take his side home. He scored a crucial 31 off 17 balls, but wasn’t able to finish the game, being dismissed on the first ball of the last over.
Declared player of the match, Shashank said it felt unreal. “It is still to sink in, I envision these things but turning it into reality feels great. I play cricketing shots, I bat at No. 7 but today I batted at No. 5 (6). They (bowlers) are the legends of cricket, I don’t see the names, I react to the ball and play my shots accordingly. (I) couldn’t get many matches before (when he was at SRH) but the coaching staff here has really backed me and I was very confident.”
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