Chahar reveals how he deceived Nitish Rana, Tripathi to bring MI back from the dead vs KKR

Turning the tide in Mumbai Indians' favour, Rahul Chahar produced a magnificent spell against Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday when the two sides met at the Chepauk stadium in Chennai. As KKR headed towards a seamless victory after having dominated Mumbai batsman in the first innings, Chahar brought MI back from the dead to register a 10-run victory. The spinner struck severe blows as he knocked over Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, skipper Eoin Morgan and the highest-scorer Nitish Rana to set the tone for MI's glorious victory. 

While he accounted for four big wickets, Chahar's impeccable leg-breaking ball to Rahul Tripathi was the highlight of the spin wizardry he showcased on Tuesday night. Moreover, he put the bump on KKR's scoring as he dismissed the top-scorer Nitish Rana, who now holds the Orange Cap in the IPL 2021. Revealing his plans against the key KKR batsman Chahar said that he had an 'idea' about Nitish walking down the track which is why bowled a flipper outside off to him. 

'Enjoyed Tripathi's wicket'

"There was pressure when they started well and a spinner had to pull it back. I enjoyed Tripathi's wicket. I was confident in my abilities as I have been playing the IPL for 2-3 years," Chahar said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

"I know Gill well, and I also know he can't keep hitting me out of the park on a regular basis. I can spin at 90 kph and that's my strength. I had an idea about Nitish walking down the track, so I bowled a flipper outside off on the last ball of my spell," he added. Chahar was consequently awarded the Man of the Match for a spell of 4/27 against KKR. 

Highlighting skipper Rohit Sharma's role in his glory, Chahar said that the captain always shows confidence in him to lift him up. "My confidence is sometimes down, but Rohit shows confidence in me to lift me up. Mumbai Indians takes care of its players during the off season as well, and that's why it is such a special franchise," he said. 

MI survive KKR scare

Kolkata Knight Riders managed to lose its bearings in an astonishing manner as Mumbai Indians spinners Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya fashioned an improbable 10-run victory in an IPL encounter on Tuesday. Chasing a target of 153, KKR were on course reaching 122 for 4 in the 15th over before the last five fetched only 20 runs as they stunningly fell short giving defending champions their first win. Krunal (1/13 in 4 overs) and Chahar (4/27 in 4 overs) were brilliant in checking the run-flow after a 72 run opening stand between Nitish Rana (57 off 47 balls) and Shubman Gill (33 off 24 balls). But it was Jasprit Bumrah (0/28) and Trent Boult (2/27), who were magnificent at the death keeping Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik under checks in a game that will be talked about for years to come. especially how KKR capitulated.