Donovan Ferreira isn’t a regular in South Africa’s T20I team. He had a chance to make his debut in this year’s T20 World Cup after being picked in the Proteas’ provisional squad, only to be sidelined by a left-shoulder fracture, which he sustained during the SA20.

However, in Mullanpur on Tuesday, the opportunity beckoned Ferreira to deliver for Rajasthan Royals and he made sure to put his hand up with an unbeaten 52 off 26 balls and steer his team to a six-wicket win.

For Ferreira, it was about keeping a clear mind and doing the same as he used to as a kid when he played the game with a “toy truck.”

“It was a good innings. I just focused on keeping my mind nice and clear, doing exactly the same as when I was a kid playing with a toy truck,” Ferreira, adjudged Man of the Match, said at the post-match presentation.

“It was about taking it ball by ball. I just kept on telling the guys, ‘We need to be positive. It’s not that hard to get that target. We mustn’t be predictable and just swing for every ball. So, let’s be calculated and play good cricket shots’,” he added.

Ferreira also doffed his hat to Shubham Dubey for his “crucial knock”, which took the pressure off him.