A century-stand from KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan wasn’t enough as Kings XI Punjab fell short by 22 runs against Chennai Super Kings in Chepauk on Saturday.
The team was down 7/2 in just the second over but some quality batting from the pair of Rahul and Sarfaraz got KXIP back into the contest and got them in a position to win. But a solid finish from CSK’s seamers, following up the economical spell from their spinners, ensured victory for the home team.
Photo: SPORTZPICSDespite missing out on a win, captain Ravichandran lauded the team’s performance and had nothing but praise for the two batsmen who got them close.
“I really had to credit Rahul and Sarfaraz for the way they batted,” said the skipper in the post-match presser. “It’s not easy to bat from 7/2. We were in with a great chance at around the 14th over.”
The captain also said that the team needed a move on in the last six overs but couldn’t accelerate owing to the slow nature of the pitch in Chepauk.
“There was talk in the strategic timeout to get tens in the following three overs,” revealed Ashwin. “We had enough in the shed behind. We had David Miller, Sam Curran, Mandeep Singh. That was one area that didn’t go our way. But that can happen when you are playing an away game, because you are not sure what the conditions are like.”
Besides the batting pair, Ashwin also lauded the bowling effort, that came back in the game after an explosive start by CSK.
“I thought the bowlers did very well,” he said. "We maybe missed the mark in the powerplay but that can happen. Whoever bowled had a role to play and did quite well. I thought we got them under par.”
