Ishan Kishan’s wicketkeeping spell gave him a clear view of what was coming. With Chennai Super Kings held to 180, largely due to Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 39 slower balls over their 17 overs, the chase looked like it would demand patience and precision rather than brute force.
Kishan walked in at No. 3 in the third over and made a point of staying there for as long as possible. His innings almost carried the momentum to the finish, but SRH still needed just six runs from the final nine balls when he departed after making 70 off 47 deliveries.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Kishan said the wicket never felt straightforward. “When I was wicketkeeping, I just felt like this wicket is not easy,” he explained. “I still felt chasing this total is going to be a bit too much because wicket was not at all easy, especially when spinners were bowling and those slow balls were coming out very well. But at the same time, as a No. 3 batter, I just hope my job is to try and finish the game. Once other batters come in, particularly towards the back end, it’s tough for them to take singles and at the same time find boundaries, so I had to just play till the last over.”
His knock came with a strike rate of 148.93, notably lower than the 179.48 he has managed so far this season. He began with authority, smashing three fours in an over off Spencer Johnson to kickstart his rhythm and help his half-century arrive from 37 balls. The chase then tightened as SRH lost their fourth wicket at the opening of the 18th over, leaving them needing 23 from 14. Kishan steadied things by ending Mukesh Choudhary’s spell with a boundary burst—one four and one six—that reduced the requirement to 13 off the last 12.
On how he approached the final stages, Kishan stressed the importance of clarity in tough situations. “It was just about being there, believing in yourself,” he said. “Sometimes the situation is difficult, but we all know how these games are won—you need to believe in yourself. You cannot doubt yourself at any point in time.”
He added that his plan was to keep the innings moving for as many overs as possible. “So I was just trying to keep it simple, try and bat as many overs as I can. Being a left-hander, being in the middle, it’s difficult for the bowlers to keep their areas right every time.”
The left-right combination of Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen got underway in the eighth over, when SRH were 56 for 2 and the required rate was above ten. Klaasen started with restraint, but his desire to attack did not stay hidden for long.
Even though the surface posed problems, Klaasen took the initiative against CSK’s spinners—Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad—early, limiting the damage during the middle overs and preventing the chase from slipping away.
After the game, Klaasen described the thought process behind his early tempo. “Yeah, the first couple of balls I blocked and I said, ‘no, I can’t play cricket like this,’” he recalled. “I need to be aggressive on this wicket, and it went my way tonight. So yeah, I’m happy with the way I’m striking the ball. Hopefully it continues for the rest of the competition.”
He also explained how the pitch behaved as the match went on. “[Pitch] stayed low, when we bowled the cutters looked a lot slower and kept quite low, and when they bowled, it skidded on quite nicely, but it was a little bit up and down. It’s one of the better Chennai wickets that I’ve played, but yeah, it’s not an easy place to come play cricket.”
