Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson expressed his disappointment over the no-ball that resulted in his team's loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Samson acknowledged that in T20 cricket, it is crucial to avoid stepping over the line at critical moments.
Can't be complacent
In the final over, Sandeep Sharma was defending 17 runs and seemed to have dismissed Abdul Samad on the last ball, prompting him to celebrate by looking up at the sky. However, to Sharma's dismay, the ball was declared a no-ball. Samad took advantage of this error and hit a six over Sharma's head, leading to a thrilling four-wicket victory for the Sunrisers. The match ended in a dramatic fashion.
"This is what IPL gives you, matches like these makes the IPL special. You can never feel like you have won the game. I knew any opponent can win it and they were batting well too, but I was confident with Sandeep (defending the final over).
"He has won us a game from a similar situation (against CSK). He did it again today but that no-ball ruined our result," Samson said at the post-match presentation.
Matter of moments
When asked about his reaction to the last ball being called a no-ball, Samson calmly replied, "There isn't much to feel about it. It's just a no-ball, and we need to bowl it again. It's as simple as that, and I don't dwell on it too much."
"Sandeep knows what to do. Maybe there might be a small change in mindset for a few seconds when you feel that the job is done, everyone was celebrating but I think that's the nature of this game, you can't step the line at that point of time." It was RR's fourth loss in last five matches.
When asked about his outlook for the rest of the tournament, he replied, "Playing this format is never easy, especially in this tournament. Every game demands our best performance. We will return and attempt to replicate our efforts."
Staying calm and understanding strengths
Meanwhile, after Sunrisers Hyderabad successfully achieved the highest chase ever at that venue, their captain Aiden Markram was pleased with their performance.
"Emotions turned quite quickly, nice for us to get over the line. Chasing 215 isn't easy, and guys contributed all along to chase a big target. We knew in a quick outfield like this we'll score more than expected, but we had to be aggressive," he said. "Abhishek started up off, and then Tripathi gave him company. Then those cameos from Phillips and Klaasy. (On Samad's finishing skills) I think you got to train it, and put yourself under pressure. You are playing high risk cricket, so that's where technique comes in." Glenn Phillips was adjudged the Player of the Match for his 25 off 7 balls which included three successive sixes.
"It was a situation where it was going to go one of two ways. Happy to go out on top of this one. We are all here to do our job, this is what the team needed today. Fantastic for it to pay off," he said.
"I felt I left a lot out there with 17 needed off the final over, but then Samad did what he did and obviously we got that little bit of luck with the no ball."
