Delhi: After the spectacular victory in Mullanpur on Sunday, Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer has praised his team’s young batsmen Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly. He has also placed an interesting challenge between the two players.
In the match played against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Punjab Kings performed well and won by 54 runs. The biggest reason for this victory was the explosive batting of Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly. Both of them made a strong partnership of 182 runs for the second wicket. Priyansh Arya scored 93 runs in 37 balls, which included four fours and nine sixes. Whereas, Cooper Connolly played an inning of 87 runs in 46 balls, in which eight fours and seven sixes were hit.
After the match, Shreyas Iyer said that the partnership between the two batsmen was very special and many shots were worth watching. He said that playing straight shots on the back foot against fast bowlers and maintaining composure in the middle overs shows his maturity.
Iyer further jokingly told that he has told Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly that the player who hits the most sixes in the entire season will get his personal bat as a reward. He said that this may sound strange, but it will increase positive competition among the players.
Shreyas Iyer also talked about the environment of the team and said that the basic mantra of Punjab Kings is to allow the players to play with complete freedom. He told that when there is no pressure of any kind on the players, they are able to perform at their best.
He also said that head coach Ricky Ponting boosts the morale of the players before the match and he himself gives necessary advice to the team. After this the players go on the field and perform according to their ability.
The captain further said that there are many experienced international bowlers in the team, who are capable of performing better in different conditions. A strategy is made in advance against the opposing batsmen, which is very important to implement properly on the field.
He clearly said that bowlers will have to avoid carelessness in any situation, because even a small mistake can change the course of the match.
