Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan praised Urvil Patel after Chennai Super Kings registered a five-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Sunday.
Patel scored the joint fastest IPL fifty, reaching the milestone in 13 deliveries and went on to score a brilliant knock of 65 runs off 23 balls against LSG in the run chase of 204.
The right-hander was able to hit the ground running and took the LSG bowlers to the cleaners from the get-go.
Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “Those who follow domestic cricket already know that he always bats with high intent. His strike rate in domestic cricket is above 200. He is very difficult to stop. Either you dismiss him, or you surrender against him because containing him is extremely hard. That is the kind of batter he is. He was hitting big shots on almost every ball with control. The way his bottom hand stays on the bat, you can understand that this is where he generates his power from. Even on slightly fuller lengths, he manages to hit big shots and keeps the momentum going throughout the innings.”
Pathan highlighted that Patel smashed five sixes on the first six balls he faced as he took the attack against LSG bowlers.
He added, “He hit five boundaries in his first six balls and spared no one. He attacked Avesh Khan, and even when the spinners came on, he continued playing big shots against them as well. He also took on Mohammed Shami. It simply does not matter to him who the bowler is. This next-generation player has the mindset that no matter who you are, he will come out and play in his own style.”
At one stage, the Gujarat batter was on 41 runs off eight deliveries and looked all set to break Yuvraj Singh’s record of fastest T20 fifty.
Pathan further praised the batter, stating, “When Urvil Patel was batting, it genuinely felt like the match would finish four overs early because he was hitting a big shot on almost every ball. I was actually lucky to be in the commentary box while Urvil Patel was batting, and I was loving it. At one stage, I even felt that he could score a fifty in 12 balls. Yuvraj Singh had scored a fifty in 12 balls, and it looked like this guy could either equal that record or even go past it. That was the kind of batting he was producing, attacking every single delivery.”
Chennai Super Kings will once again take on Lucknow Super Giants at Lucknow on Friday.
