Mohali: The fourth edition of the Indian Premier League, on Wednesday, was lit up by a little known player who played a blistering knock to help the Kings XI Punjab shock defending champions Chennai Super Kings. Paul Valthaty’s unbeaten 63-ball 120 handed Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team a six-wicket defeat.
Winning captain Adam Gilchrist was all praise for the 27-year-old batsman’s talent. The Australian, known for his big shots, in fact, said that he enjoyed watching Valthaty despatching the ball with fierce power.
“He (Paul) played some shots in the first match as well… But unfortunately he got out… He displayed terrific talent in the trial matches... It was an amazing innings from him today (Wednesday)… It’s one of the better T20 innings which I’ve seen. I enjoyed standing at the other end and watching Paul go for those big shots. Overall, it was a terrific all-round effort from the team,” Gilchrist said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
But despite the win, Gilchrist pointed out that his team needed to be more disciplined in their bowling.
“We gave away 15-20 runs extra because of some indisciplined bowling… This was a ruthless track where you would be punished if you strayed. But then after losing two early wickets, they (CSK) rebuild their innings very well,” Gilchrist said.
Dhoni, on the other hand, stressed on the importance of learning from the defeat. “It’s not bad to lose… You win some, you lose some… What is important is what you are learning from the loss,” Dhoni said.
Dhoni, too, was unhappy with the performance of his bowlers. “Given the start which we had today, losing two wickets too early, we didn’t expect to go on and post 188 on the board… But our bowlers could have bowled smarter. Also catches win matches and we dropped three catches today.”
He also lauded Valthaty’s effort for the Kings XI and praised him for staying till the end. “For them (Kings XI), Paul batted really well, he calculated his innings superbly. You have to be at your best when a challenge is thrown at you, and he did just that. Overall, his intent was very good. When 6-7 runs per over were needed, he calmed down… And he stayed till the end to finish the match, he didn’t leave it for others… That’s very important,” Dhoni added.
Valthaty, who was an easy choice for the Man of the Match, said it was a “dream come true” for him. “It was a belter of a track and it was a dream come true for me. I believed in myself and the team management also backed me. I had started preparing for the IPL two months in advance and the hard work has paid off. This innings means a lot to me. It’s yet to sink in. I will never forget this innings.”
“I was in the India U-19 team in 2002 and then got an eye injury, and my career took a down turn… But it looks like things are coming together again,” Valthaty said.
valthaty FACT BOX
Name: Paul Chandrashekar Valthaty
Born: December 7, 1983
Place of birth: Bombay
Age: 27 years
Batting style: Right-hand batsman
Originally from Kerala
Was part of the India U-19 World Cup side in New Zealand in 2001-02
Played youth U-19 Tests against England in England in August 2002 — Scored 65 runs in 3 matches, with a highest of 50
Represented Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2009, played 2 games scoring 5 and 1
Has not played any first class match
Has played just one 50-over match in 2005-06; nine T20 games for Mumbai (2009 to 2010) scoring 252 (avg 28.00) with a highest of 70
Represented Air India in the Sahara BCCI Corporate Trophy 2010-11 — Played 3 matches scoring 25 runs
