Punjab Kings batter Shashank Singh praised Priyansh Arya after the young opener hit the fastest hundred by an uncapped player and the fifth-fastest hundred in IPL history.
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00:00Yeah, obviously, I mean, if you want to qualify in the top four, you have to win these home games.
00:04And especially the ones which are like neck-to-neck games.
00:07I mean, we won by about 20 odd runs.
00:09So, I mean, these games are very crucial, I feel.
00:11Even the one in GT where we played in Ahmedabad, that was also a crucial game.
00:15But yes, I mean, obviously, last year, it didn't go well here at our home.
00:20But this year, it was lovely.
00:21I mean, we had a good practice session.
00:22I mean, there was a lot of work before the IPL.
00:26I mean, I've mentioned it before as well that we have many practice games.
00:30And practice matches here.
00:31So, that really helped us to know the conditions better.
00:34And a very good thing.
00:36I mean, the momentum, obviously, is very important.
00:37In the next 12 odd days, we are playing four or five games.
00:40So, obviously, we can keep this momentum with us.
00:41And it will be good for the team.
00:43Sacha, for one more thing, you had plenty of positives today.
00:47But there was also that dark side where the middle order did not click again.
00:49So, can you talk us through that middle order for laughs that you had?
00:53So, in T20, it does happen.
00:54I mean, it's a game where you express yourself.
00:56So, the way we got out, I mean,
00:59they just tried to express themselves.
01:00And we have batting till 8-9.
01:02I mean, Marco Jensen, he bats at 7 for South Africa.
01:06And he plays at 8-9 for us.
01:07So, I mean, that is the freedom we have given.
01:10And someday, it's obvious that every day, everyone cannot click.
01:15So, it's just that, that middle order just didn't click.
01:18And it happens in T20.
01:19So, what was the discussion with him?
01:29Yeah, especially, if you saw most of the batters ahead of you,
01:34they tried to access the shorter side of the boundary in court work because of that.
01:37But during your partnership with Priyansh,
01:40you were able to hit all around the path.
01:42So, what was the discussion we did?
01:44Yeah, I mean, when I went to bat,
01:45I just had a word with Priyansh.
01:46I told him that you are playing positively and you play positively
01:49because he was playing cricketing shots.
01:51I've known him for the last few months
01:52and the way he bats in the nets was the same way he was batting today.
01:55So, I just told him that you go and express yourself.
01:58And my job was to give him singles
02:00and like react to the ball, what I usually do.
02:02So, the way he was hitting,
02:04I always knew that I have to play a role
02:06where I have to just give singles
02:07and have to stay there on the wicket
02:08because the wicket was like five wickets down.
02:11So, obviously, my role was to stay there till the end.
02:13But I think, by God's grace, I did well.
02:19Anup.
02:20Shishank, a word on Shreyas here, the captain.
02:22How is he behind the scenes?
02:24How is the atmosphere?
02:25Not in the dressing room only, but also in the hotel.
02:27While traveling, is he approachable?
02:29How do the team connect,
02:31especially while traveling between the players?
02:33Oh, yes.
02:34I mean, Shreyas, from day one,
02:35since the time he joined the camp,
02:37he's very approachable.
02:38His doors are always open for anyone.
02:40Not only me, I know him since last 10-12 years.
02:43But any youngster in the team,
02:44they can just go and have a word with him.
02:46And he's someone who is always very positive.
02:48He always talks positive.
02:49There is nothing if but in his language.
02:52So, that is the best part and good for the team.
02:56Shishank, how do you see the importance
02:58of the state T20 leagues,
02:59which is having a ball over India?
03:01I, the Piant side, also much from that only.
03:03So, how are you seeing
03:04when the rules of Scotland and other players
03:06who are coming from these leagues?
03:08Oh, yes.
03:09I mean, I am really in favor of these leagues
03:11because obviously you see today
03:12Priyan Sharia,
03:14then Digwe Shati in Lucknow.
03:16I mean, the players who did well
03:17for the state league.
03:18I mean, these are really good
03:19because obviously you get an opportunity
03:21to play under lights,
03:22play with Kokabura ball,
03:23play in those pressure situations.
03:25So, obviously,
03:26you get to know the character of the player as well,
03:28apart from skills
03:28because skills, obviously,
03:30most of them have.
03:31But then obviously,
03:31the mental toughness,
03:32the character,
03:33you does get to see
03:35in these state leagues.
03:36Hi, Shashan.
03:43Congratulations on the win.
03:45You just said that
03:46you're more of a good tiger of the ball
03:48than the way your strike has been.
03:51But your strike rate
03:52and your performance say otherwise.
03:54How do you balance both the things?
03:56Because you just now mentioned
03:57that you timed the ball well.
03:59So, obviously,
04:00I will give this credit
04:02to Mr. Brian Lara
04:03because when I played for SRH
04:05three years back,
04:06he was someone who told me
04:07that at number seven, number eight,
04:09it's not always power hitting.
04:11I mean,
04:11when you talk about seven, eight,
04:13you usually talk about players
04:14like Russell or Polard.
04:16You don't talk about players
04:17who timed the ball well.
04:18So, he told me
04:19if you're batting at six, seven,
04:20then you better just
04:21back your instinct
04:22and back your game
04:23rather than try to
04:23be like someone else.
04:25So, that gave me confidence.
04:26Obviously,
04:26I have to look for those angles
04:28because
04:28if I'm not a power hitter,
04:30I have to see the angles
04:31because
04:31so that is what's something
04:33which keeps me going.
04:34Also, another quick
04:36follow-up question to that.
04:38You mentioned
04:39Brian Lara.
04:40You, before that,
04:40mentioned about
04:41Shreya Segera as well.
04:42There is Ricky Ponting too.
04:43So, there are multiple voices
04:45in the team.
04:46How do you maintain
04:46your own individuality
04:48when you go to the field?
04:49I mean,
04:50just like I said,
04:51Shreya Segera is someone
04:52who is always positive.
04:53Ricky Ponting is someone
04:54who is always positive.
04:55Plus,
04:56he always tells us
04:56to express ourselves.
04:57I mean,
04:58I've just told
04:58before that
04:59my form,
05:01I was not in the best
05:01of the form.
05:02I mean,
05:02I played two practice games
05:03here,
05:03didn't score much,
05:04wasn't typing the ball well.
05:06So, Shreya's messaged me,
05:07Ricky Sir had a chat
05:08with me over a dinner
05:08that it's just that
05:10I have to just type the ball.
05:11He told me
05:11that I'm a good timer
05:12of the ball.
05:13He believed in me
05:14and all those things
05:15does help at this level.
05:16It's not always about skill.
05:17It's about the mental setup.
05:19So, with Ricky Sir
05:19in our team,
05:20he's always positive
05:21and always tells us
05:22to express ourselves
05:23and that is the best thing
05:24any cricketer can ask for.
05:26Thanks.
05:27Last question.
05:29Shashank,
05:29going back to your partnership
05:31and the lead up to that,
05:33in fact,
05:33after the power play,
05:34the 4-0s after the power play,
05:35you went without any boundary.
05:37So,
05:38around the 10th over
05:39was when you launched
05:41an attack on the CSK bolus.
05:43Was there any
05:43specific plan
05:44to take on
05:45Patirana
05:45and the other
05:46quality spinners
05:47that they had
05:47and what was the
05:49target that you had
05:50in mind at that stage?
05:52What total would
05:53you have been happy with?
05:54So, obviously,
05:55when Patirana came to bowl,
05:57my job was very simple
05:58to give singles to Priyash
05:59because the way
06:00he was middling the bowl,
06:01I knew that
06:02if he can middle the bowl
06:03the same way,
06:04he'll get 15-0 runs
06:05in every over
06:05and that is what
06:06he was getting,
06:07a risk-free 15-0 runs.
06:09And during the second timeout,
06:11I mean,
06:11at the 16th over,
06:12I think,
06:12when me and Marco
06:13was batting,
06:14Ricky Sir came and he told us
06:15what do you think
06:16and what will be a good score
06:17on this wicket?
06:18So, I reckon that
06:19something around 210-215
06:21will be a good score
06:21because if you see
06:22the average score
06:23on this wicket,
06:24180-190 is a pass score
06:25on this wicket.
06:26So, I knew that
06:26if he can get
06:2740-45 odd runs
06:28in the next four overs,
06:29it'll be good.
06:30That too,
06:31we didn't want
06:32Suryaj,
06:33he might have come
06:34as an impact player,
06:35but we didn't want
06:36him to come
06:37because we wanted
06:38an extra bowler.
06:39So, that is what
06:40we tried our best
06:40and I think
06:41it went well.