Cameron Green was finally able to release a bit of his price tag pressure scoring a 55-ball 79 runs against Gujarat Titans. Green hit 7 boundaries and 4 sixes to save Kolkata’s innings from disaster. Green was bought by KKR for Rs. 25.2 Crore but failed to inspire with both bat and ball. In five games before the clash on Friday, Green had scored 56 runs in five matches and had picked up one wicket. This led to fans and pundits slamming the all-rounder and asking him to be dropped from the side.
Green came on to bat with KKR in all sorts of trouble after losing their captain, Ajinkya Rahane for a first-ball duck and then Angkrish Raghuvanshi in the second over.
Tim Seifert, who was playing his first game for Kolkata this season, showed some promise but was dismissed by Rabada for 19 runs off 14 balls. Green and Powell had to weather the storm as GT bowlers ensured that KKR got just 37 runs off the powerplay for the loss of three wickets.
From there, Powell and Green stitched together a partnership of 55 from 42 balls, with the West Indian batter scoring 27 off 20 balls and with KKR being at 87 for four in 11 overs.
However, that is when Green changed gears and shifted the momentum in Kolkata’s favour.
GREEN RIDES HIS LUCK, TAKES DOWN RASHID KHAN
Green’s innings was struggling for rhythm early on as he got a couple of lucky edges and survived a catch appeal in the fifth over. He slowly started to build momentum alongside Powell, but once the West Indian fell, he started to accelerate.
When Powell got out, Green was batting on 27 off 28 balls, and the following over he took down Rashid Khan. In the Afghan spinner’s second over, he hit him for a six and a boundary.
The following over, Green took down Ashok Sharma for two sixes and completed his fifty in 34 balls. The third over from Rashid saw him take apart the spinner for a six and two boundaries. Both the fours had a big element of luck as the first one was off an outside edge that went past Jos Buttler and then the second one was dropped by Washington Sundar near the boundary line.
KKR kept losing wickets as Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh in quick succession, meaning that all the pressure was on him to provide the final flourish.
But KKR’s brainfade batting ensured that Green was away from the crease for a long period of time, and they collapsed from 147 for five to 173 for nine.
Green finally fell to Rashid off the final ball of the innings and ended his innings at 79 off 55 balls.
