Sunrisers Hyderabad had a somewhat inconsistent start to their game against Lucknow Super Giants. After choosing to bat first, they accumulated 56 runs in the powerplay but lost two wickets in the process. Rahul Tripathi was the key contributor for the hosts, scoring a rapid-fire cameo of 20 off 13 deliveries.
He hit four boundaries, two of which were off Avesh Khan in the fifth over. Tripathi announced his intentions in the very first ball of the innings by driving Avesh to the covers for a flamboyant boundary, putting the bowler under immediate pressure.
Undeterred, Tripathi continued with his aggressive approach, anticipating another overpitched delivery outside off and attempting to scoop the ball behind the wicket by turning and shuffling away from the stumps before the ball was delivered.
Avesh, however, was alert to Tripathi’s movement and delivered the ball very wide from the stumps, forcing Tripathi into an awkward position. Nevertheless, the experienced batsman quickly adjusted to the situation, waiting for the slower ball to arrive and then guiding it between the wicket-keeper and short third-man for four runs.
Tripathi’s ingenuity under pressure impressed cricket fans on Twitter, who praised his quick thinking and innovation in the face of challenging circumstances for his team.