IPL 2018: Kane Williamson hails Rashid Khan after match-turning effort

Kolkata, May 26: Skipper Kane Williamson praised star Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan after his all-round brilliance earned them a 14-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 and a place in the IPL final.

Man-of-the-match Rashid slammed a quick-fire 34 not out off 10 balls to help SRH post a competitive 174-7 and then returned with three wickets. He also took two catches and effected a run out.

"It was a great fighting effort from the lads, game ebbed and flowed. Game could have gone either way. Credit to the way the boys finished off the first innings to get a competitive total. Game was slipping away a bit at the start, but we knew if we held firm, we could squeeze back in the middle," Williamson said.

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"Important we move on and focus on the final. As a team we fight to the very last ball and we showed that again today. Someone like Rashid is the perfect example. Outstanding talent, he has a great attitude. He (Rashid) was brilliant but he's got another game, so we're going to keep him wrapped up. He's had a great season for us,'' said Williamson.

Williamson said despite injuries to their key players they didn't change the balance of the team. "The thing we didn't change was our balance. We had injuries obviously, Saha was injured. He came back in, was nice to have his experience. Goswami contributed well, but that was the big thing for us to have that experience in the final," he said.

"Everyone of those guys have played a big part, whether contributing on the field or off the field. It's been a huge collective effort."

Talking about their final against Chennai Super Kings, Williamson said: "They've been playing good cricket, and certainly deserve to be in the final. It's a great occasion, something that the guys will be looking forward to. It is about focussing on the next match now, one which the guys are excited for."

What @rashidkhan_19 brings to @SunRisers & the cricket world is phenomenal. His exceptional cricketing talent is bringing prides to his teams and to our nation. We all take so much pride in him and wish him all the best for the final & many more games to come. #IPL2018 #SRHvsKKR pic.twitter.com/Owl3vFxjBO

— Dr. Abdullah (@afgexecutive) May 26, 2018

Rashid said he has been working on his all-round game and just tried to believe in himself. "It was much-needed for me, wanted to give my 100 percent in all departments. Focus was to just believe in my skills. I was happy with the batting, it was needed in the end," he said.

"I started my career as a batsman, I believe in my skills and wanted to finish off well. I just tried to pick the lengths, the focus was to play straight. That was the plan from the senior players."

#SRH Through to the finals of this years edition of IPL 2018 #IPL2018Qualifier @rashidkhan_19 you beauty..... @SunRisers congratulations pic.twitter.com/mplA0lUnUE

— Sai Dharam Tej (@IamSaiDharamTej) May 25, 2018

Talking about fielding, Rashid said: "Fielding is one department where you can't make excuses, compared to last year, I've worked really hard in my fielding. If I can't contribute with bat or ball, I'm always looking forward to contribute on the field. Modern cricket demands that. I'm working hard on that."

Disappointed to end up on the losing side, KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik took the responsibility for the defeat after he was out cheaply.

"It's hard to digest, we played a good tournament. To finish on the losing side doesn't feel good. We had the game at the 10-over mark, couple of bad shots cost us. Me, Robin had to bat through, Lynn was good. Me not batting through was a mistake on my part," he said.