KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir credits victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad as source of belief in IPL final
Kolkata knight Riders scripted a dream finale on Sunday when when they defeated the mighty KXIP who finished at the top of the table in the league stage this season. KKR who won the toss and chose to field were successful in their plot, chasing down 200 runs in 19.3 overs, winning by 3 wickets.
After just 2 wins in 7 matches, KKR made a spectacular comeback this season, winning a record 9 matches in a row. Speaking after the title victory, an ecstatic Gautam Gambhir spoke of how they were confident of chasing down the daunting target.
“A lot of credit needs to go to the entire team. I think they were ready to absorb a lot of pressure, and where we were after the first seven games, not a lot of people must have given us that chance that we're going to be here, lifting the cup. It's been unbelievable belief and contribution from everyone. Guys really chipped in when they needed to.”
When asked about the mood in the dressing room before the second innings, he said that they were optimistic after their chase of 161 in 14.2 overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad to seal a top-two finish in the league phase.
“This is such a ground where it's difficult to defend,” he said. “You always have that belief, if we can get the target to five overs, 50 or 60, we can always win the game, and I think Manish [Pandey] played an unbelievable knock, supported by Yusuf [Pathan], and then guys chipped in, someone like Piyush [Chawla] hitting that very important six. I think 199, we always had the belief we're going to chase that down, especially after what we did against Sunrisers.”
Manish Pandey, the show stealer on the night, who bagged 94 runs off 50 balls before being caught by Bailey, was excited to receive the Man of the Match award on his home ground. He said the IPL-7 was a fairytale finale for his domestic season where he also played on the Karnataka side which won Irani trophy, Ranji trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy this season.
“We have got four achievements, and IPL is the cherry on the cake," he said. "I thought this was an opportunity to get runs. I've been playing here for a very long time, I think it was great scoring in the final game.”
It was also great to see the mighty captain George Bailey praising the winning team as he said, “That was certainly a game worthy of being called a final. It was outstanding. Hats off to Kolkata and in particular Manish. That was a hell of an innings. The amount of times we took a wicket and he hit the next ball for six, it was ballsy batting and it really paid off. Full congratulations to them, they really deserved it.”
Despite ending 2nd best, Bailey’s team impressed one and all and the Aussie was proud of what they achieved in their first season after the shuffling.
“It's been an amazing ride. We've got a very, very special bunch of guys. We've got a wonderful feeling. We have had a wonderful tournament, and another great game tonight, so our boys can really hold their heads up very, very high.”