Shane Watson, going through a lean patch in the IPL 2020 prior to Sunday's game, came back in form, playing a match-winning knock of 83 runs off 53 balls against Kings XI Punjab. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opening duo of Watson and Faf du Plessis (87 off 53 balls) stitched an unbeaten partnership of 181 runs, giving the last season's runners-up a massive 10-wicket win over KXIP. While Watson's dominance with the bat was one of many talking points after the match, it was his prediction before the game that became viral on social media, with CSK fans sharing the screenshot of Watson's tweet in large numbers.
A day before their game, Watson had tweeted: "The perfect game for @ChennaiIPL is coming!!! @ChennaiIPL #WhistlePodu #Yellove".
Watson made sure that he delivers on his "perfect game" promise and bring a smile back to all their fans who were disappointed after three straight defeats. CSK chased down the total with 14 balls to spare and also registered the second highest opening partnership in a 10-wicket win in the process.
After the game, the official Twitter handle of Indian Premier League (IPL) also shared a post praising Watson and his farsightedness and delivering on his promise.
"He predicted. He executed. He proved himself right @ShaneRWatson33 @ChennaiIPL #Dream11IPL," IPL tweeted.
Delighted with the win, CSK fans took to social media to praise Watson and his sublime knock. Many fans also praised skipper MS Dhoni for persisting with Watson despite a series of failures in first four matches.
Here's how fans reacted:
Watson also said that coach Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni don't lose faith in the players as easily for they know the calibre of each and every player in the squad and back them to come good when situation demands the most.
"What Fleming and MS Dhoni do, it is incredible. They trust the players, they trust the quality and calibre of their players. They know if they keep the faith, the things will certainly change," Watson told Faf du Plessis in a video uploaded on iplt20.com.
This was CSK's second win from five matches and they jumped to the sixth spot in the IPL 2020 Points Table. They will next face Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on October 7.