'I believed I could change the game in the middle overs, and that self-belief made the difference today.'
Leggie Yuzvendra Chahal did a star turn as he revived Punjab Kings' fortunes in a historic victory over Kolkata Knight in Mullanpur on Tuesday.
Chahal's four-wicket burst helped Punjab defend a paltry a 111 to script a 16-run win in just 15.1 overs.
With this, Punjab successfully defended the lowest score ever in IPL history.
Speaking of his match-winning effort, Chahal said at the post-match presentation: 'It was a total team effort. We stayed positive and believed that if we could pick up 2–3 wickets in the powerplay, we’d put the opposition under real pressure.
'The pitch was on the slower side, and it was offering turn, which worked in our favour. When I bowled my first delivery and saw it turn, Shreyas immediately asked if I wanted a slip. I didn’t hesitate, asked for it straightaway. The mindset was clear: we were going for wickets to win the game.' he added.
Stating that he was confident of a comeback after facing a lean patch in the earlier games this season, the 36 year old said: 'I went for 56 runs in the last match, but I had the confidence to bounce back. I believed I could change the game in the middle overs, and that self-belief made the difference today.
'My approach is always to aim for a wicket from the very first ball. Against Ajju bhai (Ajinkya Rahane), I mixed up my pace deliberately -- to make it harder for him to go after me.
'Winning low-scoring games like this really lifts the team’s morale. These are the kind of gritty wins that bring everyone together.And on a personal note—it feels special. This is my first Player of the Match award for Punjab, and I’m really happy it came in such a memorable game,' he added.
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