Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 14 (ANI): Veteran KKR player Manish Pandey pulled off a stunner in the match against RCB to dismiss the destructive batter, Tim David, in Raipur on Wednesday.
Former India cricketer and now broadcaster, Aakash Chopra, praised Pandey’s stunning catch against RCB and called the catch ‘one of the best in IPL history’.
Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Champions Waali Commentary’, Chopra said, “It was a stunning catch by Manish Pandey. We have seen nearly 175 drops already this season. But once in a while, we get a gem like this one. Manish dived full stretch to his left and pulled off a blinder. The umpire had to check two things. First, whether the ball had touched the ground. Second, whether it was Manish Pandey or Glenn Phillips.”
He further added, “Because we are so used to seeing Phillips take these kinds of screamers. But this time, it was Manish Pandey. It left everyone stunned. Tim David stood there in disbelief and said it was not possible. This catch will go down as one of the best in IPL history. Manish Pandey has now played all 19 IPL seasons. Only Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have done the same. MS Dhoni hasn’t played a match this season yet.”
The incident happened during the fifth delivery of the 18th over when RCB was chasing a 193-run target. Tim David played the shot against Kartik Tyagi’s delivery, which went just above the ground at the point region, where Manish Pandey was standing.
Pandey leaned to his left and comfortably grabbed the ball with his left hand. Virat Kohli from the non-striker’s end and David himself stood at their place in shock. The umpires also checked twice before giving him out.
Despite his brilliant catch, RCB completed the run chase in 19.1 overs and won the match with six wickets in hand. Virat Kohli completed his ninth IPL century and remained unbeaten on 105 off 60 balls with the help of 11 fours and three sixes.
RCB is back to the top of the table, with eight wins and four losses, giving them 16 points. On the other hand, KKR, which was on a four-match unbeaten streak after six winless matches (spanning five losses and a no result), face a massive dent to their playoff chances, making their final three matches a must-win affair. (ANI)
