Bengaluru, September 28: Rahul Tewatia rightfully earned all the plaudits for his heroics with the bat during Rajasthan Royals' record run-chase against Kings XI Punjab in Match 9 of IPL 2020, but there was one man from the losing side whose effort that didn't go unnoticed on Sunday (September 27).
West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran, who plays for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, pulled off an unbelieveable save during the match and that effort in the boundary from the man who is a keeper by trade, earned lot of praise in the cricketing world.
Rajasthan Royals batsman Sanju Samson thought he had hit Murugan Ashwin over long-on for a maximum but an alert Pooran jumped in the air and caught the ball while diving across the boundary ropes saving a five runs for his side. Pooran who was thoughtful that he might outside the rope, threw the ball inside just in time to make the save.
And that effort earned a lot of praise on social media, while Pooran's fielding coach Jonty Rhodes, known for his acrobatics, gave him a standing ovation. Also praising Pooran for the acrobatic save was Sachin Tendulkar, who tweeted: "The best save I've seen in my life, Simply Incredible."
Did You WATCH - That U.N.B.E.L.I.E.V.A.B.L.E Pooran save.
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) September 27, 2020
This is fielding marvel. This is fielding at its very best. You will not see better saves than this in cricket. Play this on repeat.https://t.co/SPjR7GroIZ #Dream11IPL #RRvKXIP
In response to Tendukar's tweet, Rhodes tweeted: "When the #godofcricket @sachin_rt says it is, then there really is NO question about it being THE best save, EVER. Fantastic work by @nicholas_47 who inspired the rest of the
@lionsdenkxip fielders to put on 1 of the best defensive fielding displays I have ever seen #proudcoach."
When the #godofcricket @sachin_rt says it is, then there really is NO question about it being THE best save, EVER. Fantastic work by @nicholas_47 who inspired the rest of the @lionsdenkxip fielders to put on 1 of the best defensive fielding displays I have ever seen #proudcoach https://t.co/tBZoyJ97HJ
— Jonty Rhodes (@JontyRhodes8) September 28, 2020
Tendulkar later responded to Rodes tweet stating the South African himself was one of best fielder inside the 30 yard circle.
Jonty, I was talking about saves on the boundary line.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 28, 2020
In your territory (30 yard circle), you were undoubtedly the best! 🙌🏻 https://t.co/tZSq3VL1Y5
Pooran, however, ended the match on the losing side after Tewatia turned the match over it's head by striking five sixes in an over to power Rajasthan Royals to a record breaking win over Kings XI Punjab.