"Venky speaks in Tamil, I reply in Hindi" - KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer on his conversation with Venkatesh during match-winning stand in Qualifier 1

Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer shared a match-winning partnership and guided the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to an eight-wicket victory against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. With the win, they have reached the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final scheduled to be played on Sunday.

Chasing a modest 160 to reach the final, Sunil Narine and Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave the side a rollicking start. The Sunrisers bounced back by removing both openers, but Shreyas and Venkatesh stitched together a match-winning stand. They added an unbeaten 97 for the third wicket to see the team through with 38 balls to spare.

Throwing light on his conversation with Venkatesh during their partnership, Shreyas said at the post-match presentation ceremony:

"Elated by the performance, the responsibility was important, we stood for each other, extremely happy with the performances. We had to make sure we carry forward the same run rate. I don't know tamil, but I understand. Venky speaks in tamil, I reply in hindi."

Shreyas remained unbeaten on 58 off 24 balls, including five boundaries and four sixes, while Venkatesh smashed 51* off 28 deliveries.

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"Each and every bowler stood up to the occasion" - Shreyas Iyer

The run chase looked easy because of the heavy work done by the bowlers after KKR were asked to bowl first by Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins.

Mitchell Starc, who was bought for ₹24.75 crore at the auction, finally delivered, picking up three important wickets in his opening spell. Varun Chakravarthy was also spectacular with the ball, returning with two wickets.

Praising his bowlers after the game, Shreyas said:

"Yeah, brilliant bowling performance. Each and every bowler stood up to the occasion. At one stage, SRH were closing at 9 an over and the wickets were imperative at this stage. When you have variety in the bowling line up, it is just mesmerizing."

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