Uncapped Shashank Singh shot to stardom on Thursday via his maiden Indian Premier League fifty, an unbeaten 61 off just 29 balls, helping Punjab Kings (PBKS) topple a 200-run target against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. (More Cricket News)
His blazing half-century took Punjab Kings to a three-wicket victory on the penultimate ball of the match.
When Singh came to bat, the Kings were struggling at 70/4 needing 130 more from just 68 balls. Despite his team behind in the game, the right-hander came all guns blazing and did not hesitate to take on even the formidable Afghan wrist spinning duo of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed.
While accepting the player of the match award, the Chhattisgarh batter said that he was unbothered by the name of the bowler and considered himself the best player in the world when he played.
"They (senior players) are the legends of the game, but when I go to bat I think I am the best. You get experience, couldn't get a lot of matches before. Here the owners and coaching staff backed me. I was very confident," said the 32-year-old batter who also bowls a bit of medium pace.
Singh also reckoned that the Ahmedabad pitch was a great batting surface as both teams managed to get to 200.
"Visualised all these things (talking about winning the game), but when it turned into reality, proud of the effort. Coach told me to react to the ball. The wicket is very good, the bounce was good. 200 scored by both teams, so the wicket was fantastic," he stated.
Punjab Kings skipper Shikhar Dhawan also showered praise on Singh who had earlier plied his trade for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.
"...Tremendous knock. When you are chasing a big total, you have to keep the momentum going. Shashank showed his class. Magnificent knock. He timed the ball so nicely, it looked effortless.
"He kept his cool and finished the game. He started from No. 7 and is now showing his positive mindset," Dhawan said.
Told to bat first after losing the toss, a stunning knock of 89 not out from skipper Shubman Gill took GT to 199/4. The Titans looked favourite to win the match for a long time before a rapid half-century from Singh and an impactful 31 off 17 balls by the Impact Player Ashutosh Sharma on his debut helped Punjab Kings turn the tide and win the game by three wickets on the second-last ball of the match.
