IPL 2021: “Enjoyed Rahul Tripathi’s wicket the most; that ball turned really well” - Rahul Chahar

Mumbai Indians’ leg-spinner Rahul Chahar has said that he enjoyed the wicket of Rahul Tripathi the most among his four scalps in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai.

MI came from behind to choke KKR by ten runs in their second IPL 2021 game on Tuesday. Rahul Chahar was the star of the show for Mumbai Indians, with impressive figures of 4 for 27.

At a virtual press conference after the game, Rahul Chahar was asked about the one dismissal he enjoyed the most. The young leg-spinner picked the wicket of Tripathi, saying:

“I enjoyed Rahul Tripathi’s wicket the most. That ball turned really well. It was an ideal leg-spinner’s ball and turned the way I wanted it to.”

Tripathi was batting on five when a short-of-a-length leg-break from Rahul Chahar ripped and spun viciously to find the batsman’s edge en route to the keeper. KKR were well placed at 84 for 1 at that stage before managing only 142 for 7 in a modest chase of 153.

Rahul Chahar added that being with the Indian team in recent months eased his nerves. So when he came on to bowl against KKR, he wasn’t feeling any pressure, despite the team being on the backfoot. Rahul Chahar said in this regard:

“Not a lot was going through my mind. During the India series, I was bowling to some really big names in the nets. The pressure reduces when you bowl to big players. This is my fourth year with MI. In the nets, I bowl to Pollard, Hardik who are among the best hitters in the world. So when I face such a tense situation in a match, I don’t feel that much pressure.”

We were confident Bumrah and Boult would turn it around: Rahul Chahar

Despite Rahul Chahar’s brilliance, KKR were very much in the ascendancy going into the last five overs. They needed 31 runs with six wickets in hand. Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, however, produced two spectacular death overs to swing the match MI's way.

Bumrah gave away only four runs in the penultimate over, while Boult dismissed Andre Russell and Pat Cummins in the last to sink KKR. According to Rahul Chahar, the team always had the belief that Bumrah and Boult could pull it off.

“Obviously, it was a very close match. Last season, the way Bumrah and Boult bowled, we were confident that they could turn the match from any situation,” Rahul Chahar concluded.

With the 10-run win, MI claimed their first points of the season after going down to RCB by two wickets in their tournament opener on Friday.

Click here for the complete IPL 2021 match list.