Josh Hazlewood lauded leg-spinner Suyash Sharma for his crucial breakthrough against Andre Russell at a pivotal moment when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) seemed poised to take control against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2025 opener.
Despite conceding 47 runs in his four-over spell, the 21-year-old Suyash delivered a game-changing moment by dismissing Russell, helping RCB restrict KKR to 174 for eight. At one stage, KKR appeared set to surpass 200, but Suyash’s timely intervention kept them in check.
He bowled a well-placed googly outside off-stump, tempting Andre Russell into a big shot. However, Russell missed completely, and his stumps were shattered. Josh Hazlewood emphasized that without that wicket, RCB would have faced a much tougher target.
“He’ll keep improving with every game this season”- Hazlewood backs Suyash Sharma
“I really think he’ll continue to improve with every game he plays this season. From what I’ve seen, I haven’t seen much of Suyash, but even tonight, he showed a lot of guts bowling that ball to Dre Russ at the end. That was a big wicket,” Hazlewood said in the post-match press conference.
“The last three overs could have gone for 30+ if he wasn’t in, so it took courage to bowl that ball and take the wicket. I believe he’s courageous and will keep learning as we go along. He has great skill, and I’m excited to see how his game develops over the next few games,” Hazlewood added.
During the run chase, RCB kept KKR under pressure, comfortably reaching the target with 22 balls remaining to secure a seven-wicket victory. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will now aim to maintain their winning momentum when they take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 28 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
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