Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling all-rounder Pat Cummins has opened up on the effort and the mindset behind his swashbuckling 15-ball 56 runs knock against Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2022 on Wednesday (April 6).
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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling all-rounder Pat Cummins has opened up on the effort and the mindset behind his swashbuckling 15-ball 56 runs knock against Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2022 on Wednesday (April 6). His stunning knock helped the team to register a five-wicket victory as well.
In a chat with his KKR teammate Venkatesh Iyer, who successfully played an anchor’s role from the other end in the match with a steady 50 off 41, on IPLT20.com, Cummins has said that while the top order “did the hard work”, he was just trying to play accordingly as the balls were coming into the bat.
The veteran pacer shared: “I don’t know, I think you guys did the hard work upfront, so for when I come in, I am trying to hit big sixes, trying to think really clearly: If it’s in my area, I am going to go for it, if it’s not in my area, I’ll just try and take a single. Batting at the end of the game, it’s not swinging, it’s not seaming so it’s a bit easier for me. It was good fun.”
READ MORE: IPL 2022 MI vs KKR: Cummins, Iyer help KKR clinch five-wicket victory against MI
Pat Cummins smashed six sixes and four fours, reaching his half-century in just 14 balls as well. With this, he has also matched KL Rahul’s record for the fastest fifty in the cash-rich league as well. However, the pace bowler recently played a Test series in Pakistan and also had good practice sessions before the match too. And, he also added that the minimum practice helped him hit big and, having played Tests, he didn’t have to “upskill too quickly” either as well.
He again added: “Had about five to six days off then I flew over here, three days quarantine and then had two days leading into this game which was like, the more I bowl, the better I feel like I bowl. Coming off Test cricket means that I don’t have to upskill too quickly. So it’s been good preparation, the body feels great, [I’m] just itching to get out there.”
Meanwhile, when he was asked what he would do with the bat with which he played the blitzy knock, Pat Cummins replied: “I’ll hang on to it, yeah, I’ll look after that one.”
On the other hand, the situation looked tough for KKR while chasing 162, Pat Cummins guided them to win the game within 16 overs. He also claimed two crucial wickets and won the Player of the Match award as well.
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While sharing his side of the story with Pat Cummins, Venkatesh Iyer said how most of the players found the MCA Stadium pitch “tricky to bat on” in the game. He also opined on his own struggles to hit the ball but said that he kept himself going and managed to score a fifty.
Venkatesh Iyer explained: “Felt really good. Honestly, barring you, everyone felt the wicket was a bit tricky to bat on but that was some unbelievable hitting from you so it was important for me to stay there till the end and play that anchor role. Obviously, I didn’t have the best of starts with the bat, I wasn’t hitting the ball with the middle of the bat. But those are the days, you know. I spoke to myself about staying there till the end. You need a batter from the top-four to stay there when chasing a decent total in front of the bowling attack like that. So that was my plan.”
KKR are now at the top of the points table with six points in their name as well. They will next take on Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Brabourne Stadium on April 10.
