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'The partnership between KL and Quinton really changed the game for us.'
Lucknow Super Giants pacer Matt Henry was in awe of the "world-class batsmanship" of skipper KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, saying the century-plus opening stand between the duo helped them outclass a "very good" Chennai Super Kings bowling attack in the IPL match in Lucknow on Friday.
In pursuit of 176 for 6, Rahul (82) and de Kock (54) scored classy fifties on a slow pitch to produce a chasing masterclass and power LSG to a comfortable eight-wicket victory.
"In terms of our batting, the opening partnership was incredible. The partnership between KL and Quinton really changed the game for us. The batsmanship overall was world-class and that what was the difference at the end of the day," said Henry, at the post-match press conference.
The duo stitched 134 runs in 15 overs as LSG easily chased down the target.
"It was always going to be a competitive total. We knew that it will come down to partnerships. In a tournament like this if you are chasing, you need guys in your top-order to make big runs and today we had two of them… the way they (Rahul and de Kock) went about their work.
"The batsmanship they showed laid the platform for us to finish the job against a very good Chennai attack," the New Zealand pacer, who did not have a very good outing, said.
Henry also lauded the effort of LSG's bowling unit, especially left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya (2/16).
"The pitch was little bit on the slower side, but the guys adapted to the surface; we did a really good job. The key thing for us was ability to take wickets. KP (Krunal) and the spinners to be able to continue to take wickets and bowling to a fresh batsman made a massive difference for us."
Impressed by the efforts of youngsters in the team, Henry also felt that there is no dearth of talent in India.
"Coming here and meeting a lot of young quicks, it's really exciting to see. There is no surprise about the depth in India but the skill set these guys have and the confidence to execute their plans under pressure is just incredible.
"The bowling group that I am part of is awesome."