Cricket fans around the world got to witness yet another brilliant game in IPL 2024 as Lucknow Super Giants defeated five-time champions Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets on Friday. The match was filled with many breathtaking moments, including a quick 28-run knock off 9 balls by CSK star MS Dhoni. Chasing 177, LSG openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock scored 82 and 54 runs respectively as their side clinched victory with one over to spare. Apart from this high-scoring affair, a beautiful post-match gesture by Rahul won everyone's heart.
During the post-match greetings, Rahul shook hands with CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. Before shaking hands with Dhoni, who was the next player in line, Rahul took off his cap as a sign of respect towards the former India captain.
This video went viral on social media like a wildfire and this particular moment left all the fans utterly impressed.
"Feels good at the end of the day. When you win, most decisions feel right. We were committed to our plans. Really happy with that. Depends on the wicket, I deploy my bowlers. We tried to mix it around. The bowlers executed really well. The team is sticking to the plans. Halfway stage, I would have been happy with 160. The wicket was slow and a bit of grip," said Rahul after victory.
"MSD walked in and the pressure got to the bowlers. He has had the intimidation on opposition bowlers. Our young bowlers were put under pressure with the crowd going berserk as well. 15-20 runs extra they got. I have been trying to assess the situation. It came off today. I knew the CSK spinners will put the pressure on. I picked my bowlers and it came off," he added.
Talking about the game, asked to bat first, Ravindra Jadeja came up with a solid unbeaten 57 before Moeen Ali (30 off 20) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (28 off 9) went on a six-hitting spree to take CSK to a fighting 176 for six.
In reply, Rahul (82) and De Kock (54) batted with authority during their match-winning alliance of 134, the highest partnership for any wicket at the Ekana Stadium, as LSG scored 180 for 2 in 19 overs to recover from back-to-back defeats and consolidate their position in the table.
(With PTI Inputs)