Dhawan’s innings of 99 runs one of the best innings in T20: Lara
Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Brian Lara says Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan’s unbeaten 99 against his team in the Indian Premier League is one of the best he has played in T20 cricket. Dhawan held one end till the end after opening the innings here on Sunday. He played 66 balls in his innings and hit 12 fours and five sixes. Apart from him, only Sam Karen (22 off 15 balls) reached double digits. Punjab Kings scored 143 runs for nine wickets.
Hyderabad achieved the target with 17 balls to spare. For the team, Rahul Tripathi scored 74 off 48 balls and captain Aiden Markram scored 37 not out. Lara told the IPL broadcasters after the match, “I have to praise Shikhar Dhawan. I think it is one of the best innings I have ever seen in T20 cricket. He had complete control over the batting.
Another West Indies great Chris Gayle also agreed with Lara and said that Dhawan deserved the century. Gayle said, Shikhar was brilliant for his team, and when you keep losing wickets around you, it is not easy. He remained calm and took the team to a competitive score. It is not easy to score 99 runs in such a situation. “Gayle said,” I felt he deserved a century and it is also one of the best innings ever in IPL.
