Man of the Match Andre Russell aside, pacer Harshit Rana’s performance (2/33) too turned out to be key in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ narrow one-run win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden on Sunday.
Dismissing Virat Kohli early, Harshit struck again in his second spell with the scalp of Suyash Prabhudesai before tying Dinesh Karthik down in the death overs.
“I had planned for every batsmen, not that I had planned separately for Viratbhaiyaa. The focus was on doing the kind of bowling I usually do,” Harshit said at the news conference.
Talking about his prized wicket of Kohli, which the former RCB captain felt should have been called a no-ball, Harshit stated: “That was the umpire’s decision.
“Obviously, I felt great after taking such an important wicket. But as far as the decision is considered, we can’t question the umpire.”
According to Harshit, the turning point of the game was the 12th over of RCB’s run chase when Russell accounted for both half-centurions Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar.
Late drama
There was late drama as RCB players left the Eden without attending their post-match news conference, which is part of the protocol. Later though, pacer Reece Topley, who took no part in Sunday’s game, addressed the journalists.