Rising Pune Supergiant opener Rahul Tripathi scored a half-century off just 23 balls, fastest for the Pune franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Tripathi’s remarkable 93-run knock helped Pune outclass Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
“I enjoyed my batting today. I was getting good starts but was not able to convert it. Happy that my team won today,” Tripathi said in the post-match presentation, where he was bestowed with the Man Of The Match award.
The 26-year-old batsman from Maharashtra has been the most consistent hitter in the side as this was his eighth consecutive 30-plus knock in the ongoing season of the mega-event.
Having missed scoring his maiden IPL ton by just seven runs, Tripathi smashed seven sixes and nine boundaries in his illustrious 52-ball knock.
“I'm just trying to middle the ball, trying to concentrate on the wicket and not on the outside. I'm happy that I'm able to do well. I'm just watching the ball, hitting and it is coming off well. I'm happy that I'm doing well and hopefully I will continue hitting,” he added.
The Maharashtra lad also revealed that he hit six consecutive sixes twice in a local cricket tournament. “Yes! I hit six sixes in an over twice in the local tournament,” Tripathi said, grinning from ear to ear.
Tripathi acknowledged RPS coach Stephen Fleming and captain Steve Smith, who inspired him to play a match-winning innings in Kolkata.
“My role was just to play till the end. The coach and Smithy told me to be there till the end, so I was doing it ball by ball. The ball was coming on nicely and I tried enjoying myself out there in the middle,” the opener added.