"I went in with a free mind" - CSK's Sameer Rizvi recalls his first-ball six against Rashid Khan in IPL 2024
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Sameer Rizvi, who had a dream start to his Indian Premier League (IPL) career, recently recalled his first-ball six against Rashid Khan. The talented youngster made his debut in IPL 2024 during Chennai's first league match against the Gujarat Titans (GT).
Walking out to bat in the 19th over, Rizi announced himself on the big stage with an authoritative six against ace leg spinner Rashid. He played a stunning sweep shot to dispatch the ball over the square-leg fence.
Speaking on the 'Second Innings with Manjot Kalra' podcast, Rizvi said he was clear that he would go for big shots and was not concerned about losing his wicket. The 20-year-old said:
"What happened at that time was that Jaddu bhaiya, Mahi bhai and I were padded up. So, it was decided that Jaddu bhai or Mahi bhai would go to bat if a wicket fell. They gave the 19th over to Rashid Khan. So, Jaddu bhaiya and Flemming, our coach, told me that I would go to bat if a wicket fell. It was the 19th over and the only thing on my mind was if I have to go now, I have to hit." (2:18)
"You cannot look for single or double in the 19th over. I thought that if the ball was on my radar, I would hit. I went in with a free mind, thinking that even if I got out, it was okay," he added.
Sameer Rizvi had hit another six off Rashid Khan's over, going over long-off on the final ball. The swashbuckling batter finished with 14 runs from just six balls.
"The thing I had been talking about for so many years had been fulfilled" - Sameer Rizvi on starting his IPL career with a six
Sameer Rizvi said the first thought that crossed his mind after his first-ball six was that the thing he had manifested for several years had finally become a reality.
He said in the aforementioned podcast (from 3:09):
"The first thing that came to my mind after the six was that the thing I had been talking about for so many years had been fulfilled. Although it is not such a big achievement, it was the first thing that came to my mind."
After Sameer Rizvi's debut, a video went viral on social media, in which one of his family members could be heard saying the batter had promised to hit a six on the first ball of his debut match. He was picked for a whopping ₹8.40 crore by CSK at the IPL 2024 auction.