Opting to bat first proved disastrous for Sunrisers Hyderabad as they lost their star openers, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, within the powerplay. The situation worsened when Mitchell Starc dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed in the fifth over, leaving the score at a precarious 39/4.
However, Heinrich Klaasen and Rahul Tripathi steadied the innings with a 62-run partnership, during which Tripathi scored a 29-ball fifty. Tripathi continued to anchor the SRH batting even after Klaasen’s departure in the 11th over. Unfortunately, Tripathi’s valiant innings of 55 off 35 deliveries came to an abrupt end due to a mix-up with Abdul Samad.
On the second ball of the 14th over, Sunil Narine bowled a back-of-a-length delivery to Samad, who hit it towards backward point. Samad immediately ran for a single, seeing Tripathi running from the other end. However, as Samad sprinted towards the other end, Tripathi was ball-watching and slowed down.
Amidst this, Andre Russell quickly picked up the ball and threw it to KKR wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Tripathi, hesitating midway and realizing the accuracy of Russell’s throw, decided not to complete the run, resulting in a run-out.
— AK DS (@AKDS580838) May 21, 2024
— AK DS (@AKDS580838) May 21, 2024
The 33-year-old Maharashtra batter looked dejected as he walked off the field, unable to convert his innings into a higher score. He was so disheartened by his dismissal that he didn’t return to the pavilion but instead sat on the staircase leading to it, his head bowed in disappointment. The Twitterverse empathized with Tripathi and praised his splendid innings despite the unfortunate end.
