Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins admitted that he didn’t feel assured of victory until the very last ball was bowled and expressed relief at his team’s thrilling win against Rajasthan Royals.
“It was an amazing game. That last ball, I almost forgot that a wicket could secure our win. I was solely focused on the possibility of a Super Over,” Cummins remarked.
In pursuit of 202 runs, Royals suffered early setbacks with the dismissals of Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson in the opening over. However, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag’s 134-run partnership for the third wicket set the stage for Royals’ chase. Despite Royals appearing close to victory after 15 overs, needing 45 runs off 30 balls with seven wickets in hand and a well-set Parag at the crease, Cummins’ crucial wicket of Parag and T Natarajan’s dismissal of Shimron Hetmyer shifted the momentum. Cummins then delivered a composed 19th over, conceding just seven runs, leaving Bhuvneshwar Kumar with 12 runs to defend in the final over. Although Rovman Powell reduced the equation to two runs off one ball, Bhuvneshwar maintained his composure, delivering a precise low full toss to dismiss the batter, sparking celebrations among the Hyderabad fans.
Reflecting on the tense final over, Cummins acknowledged the unpredictability of T20 cricket, praising Bhuvneshwar’s execution of six yorkers under pressure.
“In T20 cricket, you’re accustomed to batters finishing the game, but as you approach the last over, anything can happen,” Cummins remarked. “Bhuvi just executed six yorkers perfectly.”
Bhuvneshwar, who earned the Player of the Match award for his figures of 3 for 41, emphasized his focus on the process rather than the outcome during the crucial final over.
“I emphasized to everyone the importance of focusing on the process. My mind was virtually blank; I wasn’t dwelling on the outcome. I was solely focused on executing my skills,” Bhuvneshwar stated post-match. “I knew if I could deliver two good balls, and if it came down to the final ball, anything could happen. Despite it being a full toss, he missed it.”
