Talent and skill without the required game awareness can only take a player so far in cricket, especially in a format as dynamic as T20. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter, Rahul Tripathi showcased on Saturday that he is the entire package with a sensational improvised shot against Avesh Khan that is bound to make the IPL highlight reel.
SRH had a topsy-turvy start to their encounter against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as they piled on 56 runs in the powerplay but lost two wickets in the process after opting to bat first. Most of the damage for the hosts was done by Rahul Tripathi, whose rapid-fire cameo of 20 off 13 deliveries included four boundaries, two of which came against the talents of Avesh Khan in the fifth over of the innings.
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The first ball of their encounter was driven away by Rahul Tripathi to the covers for a flamboyant boundary, immediately putting Avesh under pressure. However, the batter still had lofty ambitions and didn’t shy away from executing them.
Anticipating another overpitched delivery outside off, Tripathi started turning and shuffling away from the stumps even before the ball was delivered, in an attempt to scoop the ball behind the wicket. Avesh, sensing the movement, decided to change things and chased his counterpart with the ball, delivering the ball very wide from the stumps.
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Rahul Tripathi seemed caught in the headlights by the commendable improvisation of Avesh Khan quickly, stuck in an awkward position with nowhere to go. Yet, in a stroke of genius, the 32-year-old pulled out another trick from the hat. Instead of going through his original plan, Tripathi simply waited for the slower ball to arrive and brilliantly guided it between the wicket-keeper and short third-man for four.
Here is the video of the incident:
Beautiful four. #SRHvsLSG #rahultripathi #IPL2023 pic.twitter.com/xDklIMTVdk
— nandhagopan (@nandhagopan) May 13, 2023
The Twitterati were left mightily impressed by the innovation and quick thinking displayed by Tripathi under challenging times for the side and took to social media to express their appreciation.
One of the crazy shot from Rahul Tripathi.
Incredible, Rahul Tripathi. pic.twitter.com/j9lEZ6yjtG
— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) May 13, 2023
Commentator: He looks like a Crab across the beach 😂#RahulTripathi #SRH pic.twitter.com/aAzvP1l36w
— Why so serious (@Sreenu_Naaga) May 13, 2023
https://twitter.com/SublaniyaVinay/status/1657332326609874945?s=20
Rahul Tripathi has been the biggest disappointment of this season. Don't forget he is India’s No.3
— Karan (@karannpatelll) May 13, 2023
It's been fun watching @rahultripathi come out of the gate strong, but I'm disappointed he hasn't been able to convert starts into big scores yet. Hopefully we'll see some serious damage soon! #IPL2023 #RahulTripathi #IPL
— Avnish Tiwari (@avnishtiwarii26) May 13, 2023
https://twitter.com/whyilovecricket/status/1657329761654558725?s=20
