Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) new recruit Anuj Rawat scored his maiden IPL half-century on Friday night in Pune. Chasing the 152-run target set by Mumbai Indians, the youngster fired a 47-ball 66 to ensure his team’s third victory in the season. Rawat smashed a total of 6 maximums and 2 boundaries before getting run-out in the 17th over.
The youngster from Delhi had three bad games at the start of the season, scoring 21, 0 and 26 against Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, respectively. However, the 22-year-old justified his selection with a blistering knock against 5-time champions Mumbai Indians.
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Speaking at the post-match show after a satisfying win, Rawat said he received the much-needed backing from his seniors at the RCB camp despite having a dissatisfactory start.
“It feels great to score runs in a winning match. I was just following the process. I was not being able to connect in other games, today did it well. Hope for many more to come. RCB team has given us confidence but they have backed me even when I couldn’t finish the game. Enjoying the company of Virat bhaiya and Faf,” Rawat said.
RCB skipper Faf du Plessis also heaped praise on the youngster. He said, “I spoke about him before at the start of the tournament (Anuj Rawat). The potential that he has. Lots of conversations between the two of us,” said Du Plessis at the post-match presentation.
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Rawat had two fifty-plus partnerships – a fifty-run opening stand with skipper Faf du Plessis (16) and 80 runs with former captain and his West Delhi Cricket Academy senior Virat Kohli (48 off 36 balls) for the second wicket to seal the issue.
Rawat scored at a decent strike rate if not rollicking one and had two fours and six maximums in his kitty.
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