Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha has showered immense praise on Shimron Hetmyer, referring to the Caribbean batter’s match-winning performance that helped Rajasthan Royals edge past Gujarat Titans in a thrilling IPL encounter on April 16. Rajasthan went four-man down when Hetmyer stepped onto the crease, joining hands with captain Sanju Samson. The duo showed off a counter-attacking approach and stitched an innings-reviving 59-run stand in 30 balls, which brought the Royals back to the contest. Hetmyer was at his devastating best and smashed 56 off 26 deliveries.
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Speaking about his innings on Jio Cinema, Ojha underlined Hetmyer’s game-reading ability, which aided him in getting accustomed to the conditions even after coming to bat lower in the order.
“The way he used the dimensions really deserves credit. He knew that the dew factor will be very crucial. The clarity with which he bats is worth appreciating and he has been doing it for a long time. He comes to bat lower down the order and it is not easy out there," the cricketer-turned-pundit explained as quoted by India Today.
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Pragyan Ojha further lauded the efforts of Sanju Samson, saying that the captain’s knock set the platform for Hetmyer to play with a fearless mindset. Coming in a more-than-difficult situation, Samson showed the nerves of steel while also keeping his eyes on the required run rate. During his 32-ball tenure, the Rajasthan skipper whacked 3 fours and 6 sixes, scoring 60 runs at an impressive strike rate of 187.5.
Taking Samson’s effort into his account, Ojha said, “The platform was set by Sanju Samson. Based on that, Hetmyer got the chance to open his arms. When you play a couple of big shots, the bowler goes on the back foot in the T20 format and he took advantage of that."
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Following Samson’s dismissal, Dhruv Jurel and Ravichandran Ashwin assisted Hetmyer in the remainder of the chase, showing off their power-hitting ability. Jurel scored a 10-ball 18 while Ashwin hammered a four and a six in three balls. Thanks to the brilliant effort of the lower-order batters, Rajasthan won the match by 3 wickets with four balls left to spare. Riding on the victory, the Pink franchise grabbed the top spot in the IPL table with 8 points in 5 games.
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