Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, who also played for Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant, and Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Royal Challengers Bengaluru), praised young Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) wicket-keeper batter Mukul Choudhary for his match-winning performance against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday. Playing at Eden Gardens, Choudhary scored an unbeaten 54 off just 27 balls, hitting seven sixes and two fours to guide LSG to a thrilling last-ball win. Speaking on JioStar, Du Plessis admired not just his power but also his calmness under pressure, saying, “It’s incredible to see the awareness to take the game through. The power from the young man, unbelievable batting.”
He also compared Choudhary’s style to MS Dhoni, especially his flick shots, adding, “What a game of cricket, with lots of ebbs and flows, and stealing it towards the end. Some of the shots reminded me of watching MS Dhoni back in the day, especially those flick shots, so much power.”
Turning point for LSG
Du Plessis highlighted that such close wins can define a team’s season. He explained that moments like this can change momentum, especially when a young and relatively inexperienced player steps up and finishes the game. “You get little moments in the season where it can almost be defined… If that had just gone our way, the season would have looked a lot different,” he added. He added that LSG managed to win a match they could have easily lost, which could boost their confidence going forward.
KKR’s tough phase
On the other hand, KKR seem to be struggling with luck this season. With three losses and one match washed out, things haven’t gone their way. Du Plessis pointed out small mistakes, like missing easy runs in crucial moments, that are costing them games. “Those 50-50 moments are just not falling in their favour,” he said, stressing that teams need to stay sharp in key situations if they want to win tight matches.
