Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) all-rounder Krunal Pandya employed various tactics to disrupt the momentum of the promising Delhi Capitals (DC) debutant, Jake-Fraser McGurk, at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday, April 12.
The young Australian had made a significant impact in the Indian Premier League (IPL) by hitting two sixes in his first five deliveries. His next test came against spinners, Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi, which he approached with caution.
However, despite being comfortably positioned and nearing victory, Fraser-McGurk changed his approach. Following an 18-ball period without hitting a boundary, he struck three successive sixes off Krunal to regain momentum in the 13th over of the innings.
The left-arm spinner recognized the importance of breaking Fraser-McGurk’s rhythm and resorted to a final option, delivering a bouncer. Pandya bowled it with a seam-up action, resembling that of a medium pacer, and aimed it short.
Fraser-McGurk briefly contemplated attempting a pull shot but decided against it upon realizing that the ball would sail well above his head. KL Rahul, standing tall behind the stumps, had to stretch fully to gather the delivery.
The square leg umpire and the on-field umpire had no doubt in signaling it as a wide ball. You can watch the video here:
https://x.com/hitmanvn/status/1778836166071968048?s=46
Krunal Pandya had a rough performance, giving away 45 runs in three overs, making him the costliest bowler of the match by a significant margin.
“I loved the one over cover, nothing better than hitting over the off-side” -Fraser-McGurk singles out his six off Krunal Pandya as his top shot of the innings
Jake Fraser-McGurk made the decisive impact, filling the gap in the middle overs that LSG was missing. The debutant hammered 55 runs from 25 balls at a strike rate of 157.14, including two fours and five sixes.
“I spent the last 5-6 games on the sidelines and was itching to have a go. It was more of trying not to swing too hard, trying to find the middle of the bat and that’s what I have been trying to do in the last 12 months. I loved the one over cover, nothing better than hitting over the off-side.”
“It is something that I continue to learn and do, batting outside of the powerplay and I will get better by playing more games,” Jake Fraser-McGurk said during the post-match presentation.
In contrast, Krunal Pandya has failed to take wickets in four out of the five matches this season. While he delivered an impressive performance of 3-11 in LSG’s victory against GT, his overall performance has been mostly unremarkable.
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