Guwahati (Assam) [India]: Quinton de Kock made history by recording the best individual score for Kolkata Knight Riders in run-chases in the Indian Premier League with an undefeated 97-run blitzkrieg against Rajasthan Royals.
Quinton’s blistering strokeplay made Assam, the home ground of Rajasthan, his favorite playground. He played with the Royals’ bowling squad, selecting his favorite strokes by hand and executing them as he saw fit.
He opened KKR’s victory account in the current 18th edition of the lucrative league by starting the 152-run chase of the reigning champions and hitting the winning runs in spectacular fashion.
The three-time champs’ highest individual run-chase score is Quinton’s 97* from 61 deliveries. He broke the 11-year-old record set by Manish Pandey with his blazing form.
After smashing 94 against Punjab Kings in the 2014 IPL final in Bengaluru, Manish had a solid handle on the coveted achievement for 11 years. Third place went to Chris Lynn’s scorching 93* against the Gujarat Lions in Rajkot in 2017.
Manvinder Bisla’s 92 against the Chennai Super Kings in 2013 and Gautam Gambhir’s 90* against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 came after Lynn’s valiant efforts.
Quinton’s valiant batting performance completely destroyed Rajasthan’s shabby bowling attack. At Barsapara Cricket Stadium, the seasoned southpaw’s unrelenting assault caused the struggling hosts to sway.
Quinton dictated the terms of play, setting the pace of the chase after KKR held the Royals to a poor 151/9. Moeen Ali went about his job to relieve pressure on his team, despite the fact that the visitors lost him early in the pursuit.
Captain Ajinkya Rahane and subsequently impact replacement Angkrish Raghuvanshi provided him with some assistance. After Quinton led KKR through the middle stanza mostly unharmed, the outcome of the game seemed obvious.
He seemed eager to end the game by attacking Jofra Archer viciously in the eighteenth over. When Quinton sent the first ball hurtling towards the boundary rope for a four, the English tearaway seemed completely out of his mind.
He smoked the ball into the stands as a follow-up. Quinton finished the game with his swagger after two consecutive wides. He tonked it long-on with a showy stroke.
