Last Updated:
While Avesh Khan finished his spell having given away 37 runs, his wickets in the 18th over turned the match on its head.
Avesh Khan bowled a match-winning spell for LSG against RR (Picture credit: BCCI)
Star India and Lucknow Super Giants pacer Avesh Khan has said that he will prefer to be the best version of himself and try and pull off incredible wins for his team, rather than trying to be Australia pacer Mitchell Starc, who too defended nine runs off the final over against the Rajasthan Royals earlier this week.
While Avesh finished his spell having given away 37 runs, his wickets in the 18th over turned the match on its head, and he then defended nine runs in the final over.
Avesh was sending in Yorkers at will, leading to comparisons with what Starc did for the Delhi Capitals against Rajasthan.
Avesh khan has became a death over specialist for LSG.— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 19, 2025
“I don’t want to become Mitchell Starc, I just want to become a good Avesh Khan. Yorker is my strength, and I try to execute it. If I bowl with clarity, I execute it well,” Avesh said while speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony.
The star pacer said that he had a clear plan going into the last over, in which he ended up conceding only seven runs and took the wicket of the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer, thus leading Lucknow to a two-run win against Rajasthan.
Rajasthan required only 46 to win off the last five overs with as many as eight wickets to spare at one point.
“I don’t bowl, looking at the scorecard. I didn’t want to concede a boundary in the first three balls. And the batters would be under pressure. (On Miller’s drop) When the ball went up in the air, I thought he would catch it for sure,” Avesh said.
“After he (Miller) dropped, just 4 runs were needed, there were a few doubts in my mind, one outside edge or inside edge could go for a boundary. I told myself to bowl a yorker on middle-leg,” Avesh added.
The star pacer conceded five runs in the 18th over and took two wickets, Riyan Parag and Yashasvi Jaiswal, before defending nine runs off the final over to finish with a match-winning 3/37.
LSG play their next game against the Delhi Capitals on April 22 at home.
