"He read Varun Chakravarthy well after facing him in the nets before" - Parthiv Patel on Rahul Tripathi's match-winning innings against KKR in IPL 2022 

Former Indian wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel believes that Rahul Tripathi was able to read Varun Chakravarthy with ease following his time with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The 31-year-old batter spent two seasons with the two-time winners before switching to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2022 auction.

Tripathi played a match-winning innings against his former franchise to lead SRH to their third successive win on Friday. The right-hand batter scored 71 off 37 deliveries while chasing 176 and was adjudged Player of the Match for his efforts.

Opining that Tripathi benefitted from all the time he spent in the KKR nets facing the mystery spinner, Patel said on Cricbuzz:

"He was the game-changer, he showed his confidence. He was not shaken despite two wickets going down. He put Varun Chakravarthy under pressure right away, he read him well after facing him in the nets before. It is not easy to score a six over covers, but he did that on two occasions. The most important thing about his knocks so far has been the strike rate."

Tripathi launched an attack against Chakravarthy right after he was introduced into the attack. He scored three successive boundaries, including two glorious sixes over cover. The spinner eventually ended up conceding 45 off his three overs in the match.

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"When your former players perform like this, it must hurt" - Pragyan Ojha on Tripathi's innings against KKR

Despite scoring the lowest first innings total at Brabourne in IPL 2022, KKR were in the game after two early wickets. However, the flamboyant player never allowed the side to settle after that. He scored the second fastest fifty of the tournament - off 21 deliveries to set the platform for SRH.

Terming Triapthi as a very impactful player, Ojha said:

"He is a very busy player, till the time he is at the crease, it feels like the runs he makes create a lot of impact. The team has shown a lot of trust in him. The bids he got at the auction, despite him being an uncapped player, show that they were willing to include him in their squad. Even KKR might be thinking that they made this player, and gave him the opportunity. When your former players perform like this, it must hurt."

With three wins in a row under their belt, SRH will next face the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the DY Patil Stadium on April 17 (Sunday).