Mukul Choudhary, 21, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) batter, has become the toast of the town following his 54-run blitz against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday. Coming out to bat at No.7, Choudhary was slow off the blocks, batting at 2 runs off 8 balls at one stage. However, he unleashed another gear after the LSG required 43 runs for the win off the final three overs. The right-handed batter pulled off a heist single-handedly, ensuring the team’s second win on the trot, and keeping KKR winless.
Choudhary, who was just playing his second match under lights, hit sixes for fun, and not once did he flinch despite the pressure rising with each passing ball. The equation eventually boiled down to 7 runs off two balls, and it was then that the batter, who hails from Rajasthan, came up with an extraordinary six over extra cover to bring the equation down to 1 off 1 ball. Eventually, Choudhary and Avesh managed to run a bye to register an improbable win for LSG.
After the victory, Lucknow Super Giants head coach Justin Langer revealed how the franchise brought Choudhary on board. The former Australian opening batter stated that it was the video analyst who pushed him to go hard for Choudhary. It is worth noting that the right-handed batter, who idolises MS Dhoni, set his base price as INR 30 lakh in the auction and was picked up by LSG for INR 2.6 crore.
“Oh, we saw him earlier at a training camp a few months ago, the first time we picked him up. There’s so much talent in this country. A big shout-out goes to Shrinivas, our data analyst, who said, ‘Coach, we’ve got to get this kid.’ So we did, and we were lucky to,” Langer told Faf du Plessis in an interview with JioHotstar.
“What I love most about him is that he’s a real athlete. The way he runs between the wickets is elite, like Virat. But the other thing is his game sense. We’ve had some practice games, and the way he talks about the game makes it feel like he’s played 300 matches already. He’s got power, he’s a great athlete, and he’s got grace. As we both know, that’s a pretty good combination,” he added.
‘He’s hungry’
Langer also revealed that Mukul is no stranger to finishing games, as he keeps thinking about it and has the hunger to keep doing well for the team under pressure.
“He’s played a bit of cricket, not a heap though. But there are very few players like the Tim Davids and the Andre Russells. I’m not even going to compare him, but those kinds of players build careers around finishing games. That’s how he’s grown up playing. He’s used to finishing games, he thinks about it, and he’s only 22 years old. He’s so young, but he’s got that look in his eyes,” Langer said.
“He’s hungry. His parents and family will be very proud of him today. When you first come in, you try so hard, and this will be a massive moment in his life and career,” Langer added.
The game between KKR and LSG saw the former posting 181/4 in 20 overs after being asked to bat. The hosts then looked set for a win as more than 50 runs were needed in the final four overs for LSG, and the team had lost all experienced batters. However, Mukul raised his hand up, taking the side over the line on the final ball of the game with three wickets in hand.
“When 64 runs were needed in the last four overs, I was probably thinking this is what happens when you coach. When you’re playing or commentating, you’re on the easy side of the fence. I was thinking about what I’d say to the players after the game. I thought we bowled brilliantly on this wicket; we were outstanding. I actually noted that down regardless of whether we won or lost,” said Langer.
“Our bowling was excellent, and our fielding was elite, so I was really pleased with that. But we also spoke about taking responsibility. Today, a 22-year-old kid has taken responsibility, and what an effort it was,” he added.
