First time I saw CSK crumble in IPL final under pressure, recalls Manvinder Bisla
Manvinder Bisla has revealed that in 2012, he saw the reigning IPL champions CSK crumble under the pressure for the first time in the tournament. He also added that his 136-run partnership with the South African Jacques Kallis was the best partnership, which led KKR to their first IPL win.
In 2012, Chennai Super Kings faced the Knight Riders at home in the IPL final. After posting 190 on board, the home side got off to a perfect start with the wicket of in-form Gautam Gambhir. However, since then, the encounter became one-sided with the partnership between Kallis and Bisla.
The duo put on a 136-run partnership, which took the Knight Riders closer to victory before Kallis was dismissed. However, since then, CSK saw an opportunity with two quick wickets. With a no-ball in the 19th over, the game got away from CSK’s hands as KKR won their first IPL.
“When you need 15 in the final over, in a final, it's very difficult. But that shot reduced it to just nine. That no-ball changed the final. The thing with Chennai Super Kings is that they are very calm under pressure. They know what to do under pressure so to see that they were faltering a bit gave us belief,” he said, reported Cricbuzz.
He also recalled that it was the partnership between Kallis and him that tilted the encounter in the away side’s favour. While having been dropped twice from the squad, Bisla made a timely comeback to lead the Kolkata-based franchise to an IPL victory.
“Jacques Kallis helped me settle in. As soon as he walked in, the first thing he said was 'take 2-3 overs and then we'll see how to go about it'. I started hitting well and the momentum started turning towards us. The partnership (136) was the best I've had. I think Kallis thought that I might lose my concentration so he was focussing on that.”
