Shreyas Iyer, the Kolkata Knight Riders captain, has disclosed his chat with Harshit Rana before of the last over of the IPL 2024 match against the SunRisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens on Saturday (March 23). Iyer stated that the boy was guaranteed of his complete support regardless of the outcome.
Harshit Rana, dismissing Mayank in his first go, must stop 13 runs in the last over. Six needed off four balls, the 22-year-old claimed two wickets in three. The Knight Riders won by four runs.
During the post-match presentation, Shreyas Iyer expressed entire confidence in Rana’s ability to pull it off.
“To be honest, in the last over I thought anything could happen. But I had that belief in him. I knew that something [good] would happen. This is the time where he could become a hero. That’s what I told him. ‘Back yourself. No matter what happens in this situation, we’re going to back you'”.
Shreyas Iyer
The Knight Riders were in command at one point, with the SunRisers requiring 78 from 27 deliveries. However, Heinrich Klaasen’s power hitting propelled them back into the battle in pursuit of 209.
“He told me that he wanted the last over” – Andre Russell on Harshit Rana
All-rounder Andre Russell, who scored an unbeaten 64 off 25 balls, praised Harshit Rana’s body language in the last over, particularly after getting hammered for six off the opening ball. The Jamaican stated, as reported by ESPN Cricinfo:
“I think his body language was on point in the last over; he wanted the ball. That is the body language we all need as professionals. If he was shying away from it, it could have gone their way. He told me that he wanted the last over. So he claimed it and he did deliver for us. With the first ball gone for six, still there was some doubt there, but you know he came back strong and he got the job done.”
Andre Russell
Kolkata will meet Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday, March 29.