Sikandar Raza’s batting was thoughtful, a calculated assault on someone who is very clever bowler: Sunil Gavaskar

Former cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar went on to laud all-rounder Sikandar Raza’s efforts which pushed PBKS to prevail against LSG in the last-over thriller at BRSABV Ekana Stadium. The legendary cricketer stated that it was a very calculated assault from Raza who attacked Krunal Pandya with back-to-back sixes and a four in the 13th over to shift the momentum on the visitors’ end.

While KL Rahul’s LSG posted 159 runs on the board on the back of the skipper’s gritty 74 off 56, it went in vain when Raza attacked with his 57 off 41 to take Punjab home by two wickets. Though the Zimbabwean did the majority of work for PBKS, Shahrukh Khan’s 23* off 10 were vital in pushing the team over the line.

“Sometimes you target a particular bowler. Krunal is not a big turner of the ball, he can be predictable sometimes, he’ll fire a ball at your pads. That’s exactly what he was prepared for. So, he made room and hit two shots for sixes. It was very thoughtful batting, a calculated assault on someone who is a very clever bowler,” said Gavaskar while speaking to Star Sports.

The catches that Shahrukh Khan took were great: Gavaskar

Moving further in the discussion, Gavaskar also lauded the catches taken by Khan apart from his fiery cameo. Notably, Khan caught Krunal, Nicholas Pooran, and Yudhvir Singh to display brilliant fielding efforts. With the win, PBKS now sit in fourth position in the points table with three victories and two losses in five games of IPL 2023 so far.

“The catches that Shahrukh Khan took and the way he came and smashed the first ball for a six was great. Sikandar Raza played very well. Not to forget what Short did in his brief knock. The way Short played some of his shots took the game a little bit away from LSG, especially when Yudhvir Singh had picked two wickets and put pressure on Punjab,” Gavaskar added.