‘He is a finisher, this will give him a lot of confidence’: Anil Kumble on Shahrukh Khan’s cameo in direction of LSG

Punjab Kings on Saturday registered a 2-wicket win over hosts Lucknow Super Giants on the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

Courtesy of Sikander Raza’s first IPL fifty and a fiery cameo by Shahrukh Khan (23 off 10 balls), the Kings wrapped up the match with 3 balls to spare.

Speaking on Khan’s all-around effectivity, former cricketer Anil Kumble acknowledged that Shahrukh Khan is a finisher and that the innings he carried out will enhance his confidence for the remainder of the season.

“He is a finisher. That is what he does for Tamil Nadu in the games he’s played for them and it was really nice to see him finish things off. In the previous game as well, he had a cameo right at the end. But this one was under pressure,” acknowledged Kumble on Jio Cinema.

“They had to get almost 10 runs an over in the last two overs, with Harpreet Brar on the other end and Skiander Raza got out in the previous over. That was a well-made 23 to finish things off for Punjab. This will give him a lot of confidence going into the latter half of the tournament,” he added.

“I think Punjab was very impressive on the field. The ground fielding was good but the catching was brilliant, especially from Shahrukh Khan in the deep, it’s not easy because you’re not only looking to get under the ball but also worried about the line there. It was brilliant from Shahrukh Khan,” he added.

Further, one different IPL educated Parthiv Patel moreover joined Kumble in heaping reward on the Punjab batters and acknowledged, “You need an experienced batsman, especially in a chase like this. Shikhar Dhawan wasn’t playing and they needed a batter to control the match and somebody who knew when to turn an over into a big one, if there was an opportunity. He knew there was an opportunity to hit big shots in the over by Krunal Pandya and he did exactly that.”

“He kept on taking singles and whenever there was an opportunity, went for the big shots as well. The last few years, the way he’s been batting on the international stage, I think it was a matter of time before he came here and performed well,” he added.