17 April,2021 03:13 PM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
Punjab Kings Shahrukh Khan plays a shot against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday. PIC/BCCI:IPL
Shahrukh Khan (47 in 36 balls, 4x4, 2x6) played lone ranger for Punjab Kings (PBKS) as they lost to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets in a one-sided IPL encounter in Mumbai on Friday.
Thanks to a superb bowling effort from CSK pacer Deepak Chahar (4-1-13-4), PBKS lost their top five batsmen for just 26 by the seventh over. However, 25-year-old Shahrukh showed the rest how to bat on the Wankhede Stadium pitch. Otherwise, a batting paradise, the Wankhede strip helped the seamers on Friday evening.
"I thought it [pitch] was a bit slower, not like the usual Wankhede that I have seen through the years. The ball really stopped a lot. But as you know, when the dew factor comes in, it skids on to the bat really well. Yeah, we had half of the team inside the dressing room. I wanted to hang around for some time and assess the pitch a bit more so that the slog overs would be a bit easier for me," Shahrukh said at the post-match press conference on Friday night.
He rued not being there till the end. "If I had played those five balls in the 20th over, we could have scored 20 more runs which would have made it a tight game, I guess."
Shahrukh, who has played five first-class and 33 T20 games for Tamil Nadu, is known for his role as a finisher, but said he always takes responsibility according to the situation.
"My role is down the order as a finisher, but you don't expect to go out and blast every game because there will be times where you need to take responsibility and see the team through. I don't think that I am branded a complete finisher. I am a good batsman, I have been batting up the order for Tamil Nadu for a couple of years. I have the skills in me to bat and see the team through in tough situations," remarked Shahrukh.
Shahrukh, playing in only his second IPL game, said he is learning the tricks of the game from batting coach Wasim Jaffer and assistant coach Andy Flower.
"I am getting to learn a lot of things. I have a lot of conversations with them and that is really helping me in my batting," Shahrukh concluded.
CSK lost four wickets while chasing PBKS' 106-8, but Moeen Ali (46 in 31 balls, 7x4, 1x6) and Faf du Plessis' unbeaten 36 helped the three-time IPL champions win the game in the 16th over.
