Rahul Tripathi opens up on his match winning half-century against Kolkata, reveals he was not well before the match
Rahul Tripathi (Source: BCCI/IPL)
Hyderabad have been in superb form of late. After losing their first two games of this edition, they have now gone on to win three consecutive games. They recently beat Kolkata by seven wickets.
It was Rahul Tripathi who stole the show with a gem of a knock. He scored a superb 71 from just 37 balls. His knock came at a strike rate of 191.89, and included four fours and six sixes. This enabled him to win the player of the match as well. The fact that it came against his former team made it even sweeter.
However, Tripathi mentioned that his time with the Kolkata-based franchise was very special as well. During the post-match presentation, he said that he enjoyed himself during the game. The batter drew light on the opposition bowlers as well as their bowling during the game.
“I enjoyed myself today. The time with Kolkata was special, and now it is special with Hyderabad as well. Russell bangs it in short if you are new, and I was looking for that shot if the ball was there. Varun bowls well, I didn’t expect him to pitch it up and that’s why I went through with that lofted shot. It wasn’t premeditated,” said Rahul Tripathi.
It is to be noted that the 31-year-old played for the Kolkata-based franchise in 2020 and 2021. He stated that he has been enjoying his time at Hyderabad in the last few games as well. The orange army spent INR 8.5 crore to acquire his services. After winning the player of the match award, Tripathi revealed that he had been struggling with his health for the last few days and went on to appreciate the team management for helping him.
“It’s been very special with Kolkata, and now with Hyderabad too in the last few games. I have been struggling with my health over the last few days and the management did a very good job with me. There are days when things get tough, but I enjoy the hard work and the good days. Before going in to bat, I was a little fidgety, but I am happy that I got this innings today,” he added.
