'One of the best bowlers India has produced': Krunal hails Bhuvneshwar after RCBs win over MI

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 11 (ANI): Following his side's two-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians (MI), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Krunal Pandya hailed pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar as "one of the best bowlers India has ever produced".

A tricky wicket at Raipur, and the defending champions and five-time champions produced a thriller for the ages. A four-wicket haul from Bhuvneshwar Kumar kept the MI batting in check, but things were not so rosy for RCB either, who lost three quick wickets. Krunal steered the ship from one end as wickets fell. Lastly, the 'Swing King' Bhuvi swung his bat for the sake of his team's glory, contributing seven runs worth their weight in gold to help RCB to a last-ball win and a top-of-the-table finish to end the day.

Speaking about the match in the pre-match presser, Krunal was full of praise for the Indian pace veteran, who took 4/23 in four overs and also played a crucial cameo with the bat, displaying his years of experience and game awareness as a cricketer.

"He is one of the best bowlers India has produced. He played all formats for India for several years. It is not like he bowls in the middle overs. He bowls in powerplay, which is hard; death overs are even harder. In IPL, he has played over 200 games and has bowled at an economy rate of around seven. The way he has consistently done his job silently, he is a champion bowler," said Krunal.

Krunal lauded Bhuvneshwar's six, calling it "one of the best shots of the match" considering the tough situation and the wicket.

"A lot of credit goes to him. Such games help you as a team to have that belief and bonding. We would like to see how we build from here," he said.

At the age of 36, Bhuvneshwar is wearing the Purple Cap, defying the norms of ageism and years of injuries, having taken 21 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 15.28 and an economy rate of 7.46, with best figures of 4/33.

Krunal, who played a sensational knock of 73 in 46 balls, with four boundaries and five sixes, played every role at once. Taking caution at the start, stabilising and counter-attacking, the all-rounder continues to prove his worth with the bat this season, producing one of his career's finest knocks.

The all-rounder admitted that the wicket was "tricky and two-paced" and RCB bowling first and getting to assess the wicket helped them. Krunal, who bowled three wicketless overs for 26 runs, had a plan of building an innings, with his side at 3/39 when he walked in during the 167-run chase.

"For all 40 overs, batters found it challenging. The advantage was that we were able to bowl first and assess the conditions and conclude that we had to play proper cricketing shots. I was under pressure when I came in, we had lost three quick wickets. My plan was simple, to build an innings from there and If I put it in good situation, we will be able to get a result. There were a lot of ups and downs, but we were able to get those two crucial points," he said.

Krunal did launch some massive sixes into the night skies, but there was a lot of pain behind those hits. The all-rounder struggled with cramps during his innings and could barely run. Instead of walking off, Krunal chose the route of 'never give up'. After every hit, he fell on the ground writhing in pain, but did not let the team down.

"How I started, I knew I had to score the target. I wanted to have that intent as a batter, hit those cricketing shots and capitalise when it is there. I did not want to go into a defensive mindset, and I picked my areas to hit," he said.

"Later on, cramps were very painful. I was cramping in both legs. But I was clear that I was not going to go out, but fight through that pain and contribute whatever I can. This was a very crucial game for us, every game matters at the fag end of the tournament," he added.

It was Krunal's "sheer willpower" that overcame his physical struggles at Raipur.

"If you see how I have played my cricket, it is about not giving up and cherishing those tough situations. I did not want to give up, and it is not me as a person," he said.

This season in six innings, Krunal has made 141 runs at an average of 35.25 and a strike rate of 150.00, with a half-century to his name, besides his 10 wickets at an average of 29.60, with best figures of 2/30.

At the end, Krunal gave credit to batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik for RCB's success as a consistent batting unit since last season.

"Dinesh Karthik should get a lot of credit for the success of our batting unit for past two years. We have been performing consistently. We have had our ups and downs. He has spent time with each player and worked on their strength and weaknesses," he said.

Coming to the match, RCB won the toss and opted to bowl first. The decision seemed to pay off when MI sunk to 28/3 within the powerplay courtesy of a Bhuvneshwar masterclass. However, Naman Dhir (47 in 32 balls, with five fours and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (57 in 42, with three fours and two sixes) built the innings with an 82-run stand, taking MI to 166/7 in 20 overs.

Bhuvneshwar (4/23) was the pick of the bowlers for RCB, with Josh Hazlewood (1/33) and Romario Shepherd (1/18 in three overs) also chipping in useful overs with the ball.

During the chase, RCB lost Virat Kohli (0) for a second successive golden duck and eventually sank to 39/3, with Deepak Chahar (2/33) dictating the game. However, Krunal built a 55-run stand with Jacob Bethell (26 in 27 balls, with two fours) and another useful 38-run stand with Jitesh Sharma (18), reaching a brilliant counter-attacking fifty. However, Corbin Bosch (4/26) and Allah Ghazanfar (1/33) pulled off things with crucial wickets, removing Krunal as well, reducing RCB to 149/7 in 18 overs.

Romario Shepherd (4 in 11 balls) struggled against Jasprit Bumrah (0/20), leaving RCB with 12 to get in the final over. A flurry of extras from Raj Angad Bawa and a six from Bhuvneshwar helped ease the pressure despite Romario's dismissal, and RCB secured a last ball win, with Rasikh Salam Dar (3*) hitting the winning runs.

With seven wins and four losses, RCB is at the top of the points table, with 14 points. MI is at the ninth spot with three wins and eight losses, eliminated from the playoff race along with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). (ANI)