Wanindu Hasaranga made a fantastic save near the ropes for RCB in their IPL 2022 Eliminator versus LSG.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) spin allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga was involved in arguably the finest boundary save of the entire IPL 2022 in the tournament Eliminator played in Kolkata on Wednesday (May 25).
The Sri Lankan made perhaps the most valiant save of the season against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), protecting the ball from going for a near-certain six off the bat of opposition right-hander Deepak Hooda.
Even as Hooda timed his upper cut to perfection towards the backward point region, Hasaranga sprinted around the ball from the deep-third region and protected the ball from sailing over the ropes.
Showing fantastic game awareness and agility, Wanindu Hasaranga overcame the momentum of the ball and pulled it back in play in the nick of time. RCB’s Sri Lankan recruit helped his team keep the damage down to just a single when LSG looked like finding a certain boundary.
Wanindu Hasaranga’s excellent boundary save
The special fielding save was seen in full glory during the 10th over of the LSG run-chase. Facing RCB pacer Harshal Patel’s ball wide outside the off-stump, Hooda went for a well timed cut over the in-field, which nearly flew over the ropes.
But in the nick of time, Wanindu Hasaranga came sprinting from the deep-third region and protected the ball from going over. The fielder then made sure he didn’t step over the ropes after collapsing, as he lobbed the ball back inside the playing arena.
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For what looked like a ball where RCB would end up conceding six runs, Hasaranga’s fielding effort meant the team could keep the damage down to just a single.
— Yashi (@Smash_Jaiswal) May 25, 2022
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The Wanindu Hasaranga fielding save delighted the fans and the commentators in equal measure, as they couldn’t help but rave over the Sri Lankan from behind the mic.
Efforts like these and their impact is often understated in the wider context of matches, as they ruffle up the opposition by denying them the desired outcome and forcing them to take more risks for scoring.
