James Faulkner, who partnered Australian teammate Steven Smith to pull off a sensational win for Rajasthan Royals in Bangalore in an IPL match, said chasing 190 from a “nothing to lose” position was a special feeling.
“When you are in a position we were in, you have nothing to lose. It’s all or nothing. Chasing a total down is always a nice feeling, but chasing 190 from that position is a very special feeling for the team,” said Faulkner, who smashed 41 off 17 balls and alongside Smith (48 off 21) chased down 65 runs from the last four overs to stun Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Talking about their exchanged in the middle before the breathtaking 85-run stand off 32 balls, Faulkner said: “They were holding us up with spin, so personally I thought I’ll just play myself in; maybe get a single or play out a dot or if it’s a bad one, put it away.
“I started a bit slowly and then thought I’ll take on the medium pacers. It worked for me, but I thought the 18th over where Steven took on Ashok Dinda (for 22 runs) was when the game swung back in our favour. The rest is history.”
It was only at the Chinnaswamy Stadium where Faulkner scored his maiden ODI hundred in November. But bowling on Sunday night was a forgettable affair for Faulkner, who conceded 42 off four overs.
“I must admit that this is not one of my favourite grounds in the world to bowl at, especially when you are bowling to some of the world’s best T20 cricketers. We might have to come back here for the final, but there is a lot of cricket to be played before that,” said the all-rounder.
Rajasthan Royals have played consistent cricket so far in the IPL and are third in the standings with 12 points from nine games.
Asked what makes the team a consistent lot,” Faulkner added: “All we are concerned about is to play cricket for each other. We haven’t got many superstars and that adds to the beauty of how we coordinate and complement each other on the field. We have a very healthy environment in our team, guided by our coach, mentor and captain. It has helped us so far and hopefully will continue to do so.”
