‘He is a finisher, this will give him a lot of confidence’: Anil Kumble on Shahrukh Khan’s cameo against LSG
Punjab Kings on Saturday regered a 2-wicket win over hosts Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
Courtesy of Sikander Raza’s first IPL fifty and a fiery cameo Shahrukh Khan (23 off 10 balls), the Kings wrapped up the match with 3 balls to spare.
Speaking on Khan’s all-around performance, former cricketer Anil Kumble said that Shahrukh Khan is a finisher and that the innings he played will boost his confidence for the remainder of the season.
“He is a finisher. That is what he does for Tamil Nadu in the games he’s played for them and it was really nice to see him finish things off. In the previous game as well, he had a cameo right at the end. But this one was under pressure,” said Kumble on Jio Cinema.
“They had to get almost 10 runs an over in the last two overs, with Harpreet Brar on the other end and Skiander Raza got out in the previous over. That was a well-made 23 to finish things off for Punjab. This will give him a lot of confidence going into the latter half of the tournament,” he added.
“I think Punjab was very impressive on the field. The ground fielding was good but the catching was brilliant, especially from Shahrukh Khan in the deep, it’s not easy because you’re not only looking to get under the ball but also worried about the line there. It was brilliant from Shahrukh Khan,” he added.
Further, another IPL expert Parthiv Patel also joined Kumble in heaping praise on the Punjab batters and said, “You need an experienced batsman, especially in a chase like this. Shikhar Dhawan wasn’t playing and they needed a batter to control the match and somebody who knew when to turn an over into a big one, if there was an opportunity. He knew there was an opportunity to hit big shots in the over Krunal Pandya and he did exactly that.”
“He kept on taking singles and whenever there was an opportunity, went for the big shots as well. The last few years, the way he’s been batting on the international stage, I think it was a matter of time before he came here and performed well,” he added.
