Shashank Singh to Suryakumar Yadav: Give me that ball, I'll do it

Triumph Knights (TK) pacer Shashank Singh (right) celebrates his side's win against Shivaji Park Lions with a support staff member in the T20 Mumbai League final at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. TK won the match by three runs. Pics/Atul Kamble

What is pressure? Ask Triumph Knights' (TK) Shashank Singh for whom a single delivery made the difference between him becoming a hero or villain in Wednesday night's T20 Mumbai League final against Shivaji Park Lions.

At the Wankhede Stadium, the Lions needed 26 off six balls. In stepped Shashank, who did not bowl a single over during the match, but was determined to put in the hard yards for the final over. "I approached skipper Suryakumar Yadav and urged him to give me the ball. I knew I would go for runs, but was confident that I would not give away 26 in six balls. Surya had faith in me and allowed me to bowl that crucial over," Shashank, who conceded 22 in the first five deliveries before the final one which turned out to be a dot ball, told mid-day yesterday.

Dube hit Shashank over the long-off fence on the first ball. The southpaw then dispatched one to the fine-leg boundary. The third one was a huge six over the sightscreen that landed near his team's dressing room. Needing 10 from two, Dube launched another towering six in the same direction. The Lions now needed four off one delivery, but as fate had it, the big-hitter failed to connect and sent the entire TK camp into ecstasy.

Talking about his last over, Shashank explained: "I was trying to bowl yorkers in the first five balls. It was not easy as I was unable to grip the ball properly due to the dew factor. However, before the last ball, I recalled what Abey Kuruvilla and Vidya Paradkar [mentors] told me - always bowl my best delivery in a difficult situation and that's exactly what I did. My best ball is just short of a length. I was a little confused, but went ahead with that one."

Suryakumar, 27, hailed Shashank's fearless attitude. "Someone had to take responsibility to bowl the 20th over. Shashank asked me to hand the ball to him. I had faith in his abilities. Dube is one batsman who can score runs under pressure, but Shashank bowled the last two balls really well. You can't say that giving Shashank the last over was a risk. He didn't do well with the bat [Shashank scored 10 off 10 balls], so I thought he would make up with his bowling and luckily, he did," he said.

Before the last ball, Suryakumar raised the confidence of his bowler. "I went up to him and said, 'Whatever you want to do, do it 200 per cent and whatever happens, we will see later.' Shashank bowled, Dube missed and the rest is history," he added. However, the last ball of the final over at Wankhede will always be etched in Shashank's memory. "After going to bed for a couple of hours, I wondered what would have happened had my last ball sailed over the boundary. It was the best last ball I have ever bowled. I didn't claim a wicket, but that ball has given me everything… which I'm unable to express in words," Shashank concluded.

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