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Following his side's win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR), during which he delivered a clutch final over to defend nine runs, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Avesh Khan said that his hand is fine after being hit by the ball on the final delivery of the innings.
Avesh's three-wicket haul and defence of nine runs in the final over while defending a total of 181 runs condemned a valiant Rajasthan to a two-run loss at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, continuing their downward spiral in the competition. Speaking during the post-match presentation, Avesh said, "My hand is good; it (ball) hit my bone, I could not celebrate. I do not want to become Mitchell Starc; I just want to become a good Avesh Khan (talking about comparison with Starc's last over defence against RR days back). Yorker is my strength, and I try to execute it. I do not bowl, looking at the scorecard. Coming to the match, LSG won the toss and opted to bowl first. Half-centuries from Aiden Markram (66 in 45 balls, with five fours and three sixes), Ayush Badoni (50 in 34 balls, with five fours and a six) and a cameo from Abdul Samad (30* in 10 balls, with four sixes) took LSG to 180/5 in their 20 overs. Wanindu Hasaranga (2/31) was the lead bowler for RR, who now need 181 to get their third win in eight matches. During the run-chase, Yashasvi Jaiswal had an 85-run opening stand with debutant Vaibhav Suryavanshi (34 in 20 balls, with two fours and three sixes). The left-hander also went on to have a 62-run stand with stand-in skipper Riyan Parag (39 in 26 balls, with three fours and two sixes), and he made 74 in 52 balls, with five fours and four sixes. However, when the equation came down to nine runs in the final over, Avesh Khan (3/37) managed to defend it against Dhruv Jurel and Shubham Dubey, making RR face their sixth defeat by two runs. RR is at the eighth spot with two wins and six losses, whereas LSG is at the fourth spot with five wins and three losses. Avesh took home the 'Player of the Match' award for his fine knock. (ANI)
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