Nehal Wadhera from PBKS surprised himself when he got the call-up for playing in the April 1 game against LSG during their match at Ekana Stadium. PBKS used Wadhera when the first innings reached its nineteenth over at age 22 and his innings not out total of 43 from 25 deliveries resulted in a winning run of 172. The match-winning performance postgame revealed Wadhera did not know about his selection until after his innings when he could maintain a relaxed state instead of thinking too much. After MI released him for ₹4.20 crore the franchise acquired his services.
Nehal Wadhera Reflects On His Unexpected Selection And Match-Winning Knock
In a post match conference Nehal stated that “I didn’t know I would be playing. I only brought one kit because I was sure I wouldn’t be in the XI. Normally, I carry two–one for batting and another for fielding. I even came in full sleeves. Sometimes, things work in your favour. If I had known earlier, I might have overthought it…this was one of those days when I was lucky that I did not know that I would be playing, and it turned out to be lucky for me.”
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Nehal Wadhera’s Unexpected Selection And Crucial Knock For PBKS
Wadhera shared his reaction when head coach Ricky Ponting disclosed his selection while the opening batsman still expected to come off the bench. Wadhera began his warm-up in the 11th over before anyone alerted him about his selection for the match.
“Ricky came up to me and said, ‘If we bowl first, you’ll be in the eleven.’ I was a bit surprised and kept thinking, ‘How can I be in the XI just because we’re bowling first?’ I thought maybe he made a mistake. Once the playing XI was announced, I realized I was in. That’s why I only started warming up around the 11th or 12th over, knowing I might have to field,” he said.
He came in to bat at position four when Prabhsimran Singh (69) and Shreyas Iyer (52) had already established a powerful partnership before he struck 43 runs from his 25 balls which allowed PBKS to succeed in their chase of 172 in 16.2 overs. Punjab Kings achieved second position on the points table after their victory while they face Rajasthan Royals on April 5.
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