Surprising! Why Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner asked teenager Abdul Samad to bowl last over to MS Dhoni

Abu Dhabi, October 3: When an injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar limped out of the field after bowling just a ball of the 19th over, there might have been concerns in the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp. There 11 deliveries left to be bowled and Chennai Super Kings needed 42 runs to win at that stage.

It was not an improbable target considering the Chennai Super Kings had MS Dhoni and Sam Curran at the crease. Sunrisers skipper David Warner asked left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed to complete the remaining five balls of Bhuvneshwar Kumar over and then summoned, to the surprise of many, the young Jammu all-rounder Abdul Samad to bowl the last over.

Here was a 19-year-old rookie bowling to one of the most feared finishers and to Curran, who was striking the ball sweetly. And Samad had 28 runs to defend and made a disastrous start, bowling a wide that beat wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow to boundary. 5 runs off the first ball and the ball had to bowled again.

But Samad retained his nerve and bowled out the over conceding 21 runs.

Sunrisers skipper David Warner explained why did he choose Samad for the last over. "I backed him. I had no option. With Khaleel (Ahmed) there, with five balls to bowl, we tried to kill the game there. We could have given it to Abhishek, but I felt with his height and how he bowled, I'd go with him. This wicket was a little bit bad as compared to the last one we played here. You don't really get that length to pull," explained Warner.

Sunrisers leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who produced a tight 4-0-12-0 spell, too patted Samad, who had already dismissed Kedar Jadhav, for showing nerves to bowl the final over.

"I think the ability the young guys have, they tried their best to deliver after working hard in training. It's a good thing for the team that the youngsters executed. Samad is a strong hitter of the ball and he delivered with the ball as well. He was so relaxed, so calm. That's what I like about him. When the captain told him he'll bowl the last over, he was smiling. He tried his best to give 100%. You need to be in the middle, keep smiling and enjoying bowling. That's what I do as well," said Rashid.