Shubman Gill showed maturity beyond years as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) knocked out Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by seven wickets on Friday to stay afloat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019.
Chasing a target of 184, the 19-year-old Gill showed his range on his 'home turf' with an attractive 65 not out off 49 balls, anchoring the chase after Chris Lynn (46 off 22 balls) set the pace with some big hits in the Powerplay overs.
Not only did KKR reach the target in 18 overs but they also improved the net run-rate as they now have 12 points with a must-win away game against Mumbai Indians left.
But KKR captain Dinesh Karthik was not entirely happy with the team's performance and was seen losing cool in the centre.
After the match, the skipper admitted to his outburst.
"We live to fight another day. It's been a hard few days. I wasn't too happy with what the bowlers and the fielders were doing, so I thought I should let the boys know what I felt at that time. It is rare, not many people have seen me angry," he said after the match.
The wicketkeeper-batsman hit the winning runs, a four off the last ball of the 18th over.
"If I feel I need to be angry to get the best out of the boys, then maybe. The last over went for 10 runs too many, but we have to give it to Sam Curran. IPL is that kind of a tournament where someone comes in and scores runs for you, so there's that balance. It's a big ground, but we did the small things well. Ran well, put pressure on the bowler, and good execution on the batsmen. It's fair that we have given Gill a chance at the top of the order, and he has grabbed the opportunity with both hands," he added.
The result saw KKR jump to the fifth spot with 12 points and one to play, against already-qualified Mumbai Indians on Sunday.
Kings XI, meanwhile, dropped to seventh in the eight-team points table with one game to go, and their chances are all but over.
(With Agency inputs)
