IPL 2021: Graeme Swann praises KL Rahul for his fantastic knock against RCB
Graeme Swann praised Punjab Kings’ skipper KL Rahul for his fantastic knock against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 26th match of the IPL 2021 and admitted that he was rooting for Rahul to get the ton that he fell short by 9 runs.
If Punjab had wickets in hand, Rahul may have reached his century, but they lost a slew of wickets in the middle overs after a promising start. He helped the team get through a difficult time, forming an important partnership with Harpreet Brar for 61 runs for the sixth wicket.
Graeme Swann lauded KL Rahul for playing a captain’s knock and for crushing it out when four wickets fell in the middle overs. He stated that Punjab did not fare well after a strong start, and the burden was on Rahul to bat through the innings and guide the team to a reasonable total. He went on to say that it cost him a well-deserved century at the end, where he had to settle for 91 off 57 balls.
“It was a captain’s knock. Because he had to weather the storm when those four wickets fell between overs 11 and 15. That was a nightmare for PBKS because they had started so well. When those wickets fell, he had to consolidate in the middle and that cost him his century in the end,” Graeme Swann said on Star Sports
Graeme Swann on the significance on KL Rahul’s knock
Graeme Swann emphasized the significance of Rahul’s innings and appreciated the way he increased his strike rate in the final overs. He agreed that he is not a PBKS fan, but he was cheering for Rahul to get a hundred. He thought the total was excellent, but still, they were 10 runs short with the start they got.
“But he picked up the pace in the end. He is one of the guys who you root for. I am not a PBKS fan, I was rooting for him to get that century in the end. But he didn’t get there. But he was brilliant. He has set what is going to be the best of the totals so far. I don’t think they have got enough, they are 10 short, but it will be a good chase,” Graeme Swann added.
Rahul’s strong form against RCB persisted from last year where he scored 132* and 61*, and this was a much-needed innings in Punjab’s desperate situation this IPL.
Punjab Kings stand 5th at the points table and will take on Delhi Capitals on 2nd May at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
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