Brad Hodge spears Kochi Tuskers to victory over Kolkata Knight Riders
Kochi Tuskers http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brad-Hodge-c1184’s, late attack helped their side attain a 17 run win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
Hodge ventured onto the crease at number 6 and reaped 35 runs off 19 balls, including two sixes and three boundaries. The strong hitter helped his team reach 156 runs in his cameo appearance.
He was defiant in achieving his goal, as he put compatriot, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brett-Lee-c48419, to the sword. The two Australians faced off in the last over of the game and it offered entertainment that brought the crowd to its feet.
"That couple of overs changed the complexion of the game and made the difference. He was hitting the ball so well and I think he should bat up the order", Jayawardene explained after the game had concluded.
The skipper was overjoyed with the result as the Tuskers won their last home game in Indian Premier League – 4, staying in the mix for the post season spot.
"It was a tough game, an important one as well. We needed to win it here as well, our last game in Kochi. KKR were on top of table and we beat them, so we are happy", he affirmed.
"We can surprise a lot of people. We will take one game at a time and hope to be in the play-offs", the skipper elaborated.
The important thing for the former Sri Lankan captain has been to raise the bar on local cricketers in the team. According to Jayawardene, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/S-Sreesanth-c2398 are doing well in the squad and they have all the encouragement
to go out onto the field to perform on top of their level.
Hodge has the backing of his team’s captain to head up the order in the batting line up in a bid to do more damage on the field. Evidently his hard knock in the end made most of the difference, as accepted by opposition captain, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gautam-Gambhir-c58623. The Kolkata
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Knight-c71599 Riders skipper elaborated that the batter’s 22 runs stint in the last over made all the difference.
Gambhir was able to reflect on his team’s performance. He felt the batters lost momentum in the middle of the game and hence, gave up the opportunity to score more against Kochi. When he was asked about the team’s chances on reaching the playoffs, he positively
replied that it is never certain till the time a club reaches the semi-finals, whether they are in the run or not.
Hodge feels he is batting well on number six, even though he is used to hitting up the order. No matter what the debate may be for the future, the player will remember that he was the man of the match in this particular encounter.
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