"A star in the making" - Twitter reacts to Angkrish Raghuvanshi's impressive debut for KKR against DC in IPL 2024
The 16th match of the ongoing 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) between the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) saw India's young talent Angkrish Raghuvanshi take to the field by storm with his willow.
Batting first at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, KKR got off to a flying start courtesy of early carnage by openers Sunil Narine and Philip Salt. The Caribbean all-rounder was the wrecker-in-chief, as he shared a major chunk of runs in their 60-run opening stand.
Raghuvanshi walked out to bat at No. 3 and joined hands with Narine as the duo wreaked havoc on the field. The duo racked up 104 runs in just 48 deliveries, with Narine contributing a 24-ball 51 and Raghuvanshi notching up 49 runs off 24 deliveries, to help KKR build the innings.
The young KKR debutant got to his maiden IPL half-century off just 25 balls before being dismissed by Anrich Nortje. Raghuvanshi accumulated 54 runs in 27 balls, including five fours and three sixes, as he batted at a massive strike rate of 200.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Narine carried KKR from 60/1 to 164/2 before the latter found his way back to the pavilion. Before the 18-year-old could showcase his batting skills further, Nortje picked up his second wicket of the day to provide DC with another crucial breakthrough.
Fans and experts of the game took to X (formerly Twitter) to laud Raghuvanshi for his incredible performance in his debut innings for the two-time champions.
Here are a few reactions:
Andre Russell carries KKR's momentum forward
After Narine and Raghuvanshi's powerful half-centuries, middle-order batter Andre Russell anchored the innings. He got to business from the word go and batted at a strike rate of 227.78 and notched up 41(19) to help his side cross the 200-run mark. Russell's knock included four fours and three sixes as the 35-year-old took the opposition bowlers to the cleaners.
Courtesy of the collective efforts of the KKR batters, the team registered their highest-ever score in the history of the cash-rich event. They surpassed their previous best of 245/6, which they scored against Punjab Kings in IPL 2018, to finish with 272/7, also setting a new record for the second-highest team total in the IPL.