"The innings that Glenn Phillips played was equal to 75 runs" - Harbhajan Singh on Glenn Phillips knock in RR vs SRH
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was effusive in his praise for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Glenn Phillips for his impactful knock against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday, May 7, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Hyderabad snatched a thrilling four-wicket victory from the jaws of defeat against Rajasthan to keep their IPL 2023 campaign alive by bagging those two crucial points.
While chasing 215 against the home side, SRH were 117/2 after 13 overs with 98 needing from 48 balls. Rahul Tripathi (47 off 29 balls) and Heinrich Klaasen (26 off 12 balls) played some delightful shots to bridge the gap. Both the batters departed while taking the attack against the opposition in the death overs.
The equation of 41 runs from the last 12 balls was still a herculean task for the visitors. Glenn Phillips, who warmed the bench for most of the season, slammed three consecutive sixes followed by a boundary off Kuldip Yadav's bowling
Phillips' assault in the penultimate over left SRH with just 17 runs to chase in the final over. Speaking about the New Zealand cricketer's contribution to the win, Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube channel:
"The innings that Glenn Phillips played down the order, scoring 25 runs from just seven balls. That innings created a big impact. I think it was equal to 75 runs. He gave his team a chance to make a comeback in the game. Those three sixes came at a very important time.
Abdul Samad smashed Sandeep Sharma for a six over long-on on the second ball but the pacer kept things tight by nailing yorkers. Five runs were needed from the last ball and Sandeep had almost sealed it for Rajasthan with another yorker that got Samad out, only for the siren to reverberate for an overstepped no-ball.
Samad didn't miss the second chance and smashed it straight down the ground for a six to pull off the chase.
Talking about the dramatic scenes on the last ball, Harbhajan said:
"Abdul Samad made no mistake on the last ball. Sandeep erred with the overstepping no-ball and Samad hit the six to become his team's hero."
WHAT. A. GAME 😱😱
Abdul Samad wins it for the @SunRisers as he hits a maximum off the final delivery.
#SRH win by 4 wickets.
Scorecard - bit.ly/TATAIPL-2023-52 #TATAIPL #RRvSRH #IPL2023 https://t.co/yh0WVMEbOz
"Yuzvendra Chahal will be the most disappointed" - Harbhajan Singh
Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal finished with figures of 4 for 29 from his four overs. He claimed the wickets of Klaasen, Tripathi and Aiden Markram in the death overs to dent blows to Sunriders Hyderabad's chase.
With 183 wickets in 142 matches at an economy rate of 7.65, Chahal has now leveled with former Chennai Super Kings pacer Dwayne Bravo for the most wickets in IPL.
Mentioning the efforts of Chahal that went in vain, Harbhajan Singh said:
"Yuzvendra Chahal will be the most disappointed because he picked up four wickets. Despite taking four wickets, if your team doesn't win then it is difficult to digest."
Yuzvendra Chahal strikes twice in an over.
Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram depart in quick succession.
Live - bit.ly/TATAIPL-2023-52 #TATAIPL #RRvSRH #IPL2023 https://t.co/FE4vHpOzMv
The Royals have suffered three defeats in a row but are still placed in fourth position in the points table. However, they are veel on points (10) with three other teams, who have all played one game less.
Talking about RR' roadmap in the race of IPL 2023 playoffs, Harbhajan said:
"SRH defeated a big team and hence in this format any team can beat anyone. For Sanju Samson's team to progress ahead there are many challenges from here."
Rajasthan will next face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 11 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad will host Lucknow Super Giants on May 13 in Hyderabad.