Lucknow Super Giants pacer Avesh Khan drew the plaudits for his death overs masterclass that helped the franchise beat Rajasthan Royals by 2 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash on Saturday. The Royals looked on the brink of an easy victory before Avesh stepped and taught the world how Yorkers are bowled in the final overs. While Avesh was the one who executed the strategy to perfection, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels Rishabh Pant also had a big role to play in Lucknow's heroic show at the fag end of the game.
Pant is a shrewd captain, who has often used the 'delaying tactics' to frustrate opponents and break momentum. Kaif feels the wicket-keeper batter did exactly that against the Royals.
"The final over began at 11:07 PM IST and it went on for 10 minutes, where there were some intentional delaying tactics. Rishabh Pant took his time, the ball got changed, Avesh Khan was stopped in his run-up once, they intentionally kept the batters waiting at the crease," Kaif said while speaking in a video posted on his X handle.
"Also, this is not the first time this has happened. In the 2024 T20 World Cup final, when 30 runs were needed off 30 balls and when Klaasen and Miller were on strike, it was Rishabh Pant only who lay down on the floor to summon the physios," Kaif said.
When asked if he was happy or relieved with the result after the game, Pant said 'both'.
"I think both. These kind of matches build character. It was an amazing win. As a team, this is going to take us to a different level. These kind of matches can build the character of players and team. These are the positive things we always talk about. Looking forward, I feel we are going to do better. All the credit to the bowlers holding their nerves at the right time. It's not easy, especially in a game we're always behind the game. They (RR) played brilliantly as a batting unit but our bowlers kept their nerve, especially Avesh - he bowled three overs and it was fantasti," he said in the presentation ceremony.
When asked about the final over strategy, Pant said: "The idea was to take your own time, execute the plan with a clear mindset, taking one ball at a time and take it as deep as possible and trusting your bowler and fielders. We are moving in a positive direction. Just enjoying the win as of now. We are going to sit together and talk about what are the areas to work on after this."