Rahul Tripathi, the new star of IPL 10

KOLKATA: For the second match in a row, Kolkata Knight Riders were undone by an individual brilliance of a player from the rival team. While Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner was at his destructive best against Kolkata in Hyderabad, a little-known youngster emerged as the unlikely hero at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
Pune opener Rahul Tripathi hit a match-winning 52-ball 93 on Wednesday to help his team chase down Kolkata's meager tally of 155/8 with relative ease and keep them in the hunt for a playoff berth.
Picked up at a his base price of Rs 10 lakh at the IPL auction earlier this year, the Pune boy has been one of the shining stars of the tournament this season. With 353 runs from nine matches, the opener has not only emerged as the highest run-getter of the side but also outshone big stars like skipper Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni and others.
Talking about his own innings after the match, Tripathi said he had no plans whatsoever for any Kolkata bowler and played every ball on merit.
"I think that worked well. Going in with a plan wouldn't have worked because they (Kolkata) are a great bowling side," Tripathi was quoted as saying on the tournament's official website. "I just kept it simple and went with my gut feeling," he added.
A team man to the core, Tripathi said he didn't regret missing out on a century. "I would have loved to finish the match which was certainly more important. But in the end, we won."
Kolkata pacer Chris Woakes was also all praise for the 26-year-old and felt Tripathi had actually fared better than Warner. "It's always difficult to stop a player on his day. We dropped a few chances against (David) Warner. When you give good players chances they are bound to take full advantage of it. But we did not drop anything today. He (Tripathi) just played a fantastic knock, so all credit to him," he said.
"He managed to put us under pressure. He attacked the new ball well and when the spinners came on, he hit them for boundaries and at times also cleared the ropes. He looks a very good player, a guy for the future. Sometimes you have nothing to do except say 'very well played'," Woakes added.
Tripathi's Pune teammate Manoj Tiwary, who has played against him in domestic cricket, was not surprised by Tripathi's belligerence. "Last year he scored a hundred against Bengal. I was impressed with his knock and was convinced that if this guy worked hard, he would come up," Tiwary said after the game.
Tripathi began playing serious cricket after his father, a Colonel in the Indian Army, settled down in Pune after serving in Jammu and Kashmir. He made his first-class debut for Maharashtra against Baroda in 2012. "This year also, he scored 90-odd in the quarterfinal against Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy," Tiwary added.
"He was outstanding today. He's been in good touch from the start of the domestic season. I'm really happy that he has carried that momentum into IPL," the Bengal captain added.