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The match no. 10 of IPL 2021 was very evenly poised after Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a flying start, chasing a mammoth target of 205 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, things turned slightly in the favour of Virat Kohli's side after the dismissals of Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi. It is then KKR's leading run-scorer so far, Nitish Rana who put on the acceleration button and started to attack the bowlers.
Yuzi gets the crucial wicket
The 30-year-old hasn't had the best of the starts to the season, having registered figures of 0/41 and 0/29 in the first two games. However, skipper Virat Kohli trusted the skills of the leggie and introduced him to the attack at a crucial juncture of the game. After conceding only 2 runs in the first over, Rana launched an attack and scored two boundaries, putting the pressure back on the bowler. But, the leggie kept his composure, showed his class and provoked the left-handed batsman to play a lofted shot, which went straight into the hands of Padikkal standing at deep mid-wicket.
While the wicket was crucial for RCB, it was also a crucial moment for India's lead leg-spinner as he claimed his maiden wicket of the season. His wife, Dhanshree Verma's emotional reaction also reflected how important it was for Chahal.
Chahal certainly found his confidence back after the wicket as he also went on to dismiss Dinesh Karthik with a peach of a delivery in his next over. Chahal's two crucial wickets put RCB on the cusp of a hattrick of wins this season.