Abhinav Manohar plays a shot during an IPL match between Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants.
"You would hear a lot more about Abhinav Manohar in the future," said Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya after the IPL debutant displayed remarkable hitting in the final over to ensure a five-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants here on Monday.
With Titans needing 11 off the final over, Manohar smashed back-to-back fours off Avesh Khan to make the task much easier for his team. With the confidence he showed under extreme pressure, it did not look like he was playing his first game on a big stage like the IPL.
"Manohar is someone to look at with the talent he has. He is someone who you are going to hear about in the future. Rahul Tewatia was sensational as well," said Hardik at the post-match presentation.
Hardik, who played his first game since November last year, bowled four overs and scored 33 batting at number four.
"Mostly I'll bat at number four, because I want to take pressure with my experience so that the others can play freely. We want to win as a team and nobody can take the contribution away from anyway," he said.
He was all praise for pacer Mohammad Shami who bowled a sensational spell with the new ball.
"This was the right game for us to be on either side and learn, but have learnt a lot by winning. Shami is known for his seam positions and he got us to a great start. We would have any day taken 160 on this wicket," he said referring to Super Giants 158 for six.
