Romario Shepherd's Explosive Performance Secures RCB's Narrow Victory Over CSK
Shepherd's Game-Changing Innings
Romario Shepherd, a batter for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), revealed that he noticed a lack of clarity in Khaleel Ahmed's approach, which allowed him to effectively implement his aggressive batting strategy against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowler during the crucial final overs.
In a thrilling IPL match on Saturday night, Shepherd turned the tide with an astonishing 53 runs off just 14 balls, marking it as the joint second-fastest fifty in IPL history.
Reflecting on his performance, Shepherd stated, "Honestly, my focus was primarily on the bowler and his tactics. After hitting the first two sixes, I sensed that I had put him under pressure. Observing his body language, I decided to intensify that pressure further."
He continued, "I could see Khaleel was somewhat perplexed, which indicated that I had the upper hand. At that moment, I just kept going."
The record for the fastest fifty in IPL belongs to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who achieved it in just 13 balls in 2023, while KL Rahul and Pat Cummins had previously scored fifties in 14 balls in 2018 and 2022, respectively.
Shepherd capitalized on Ahmed's bowling, scoring 33 runs in the 19th over and adding 21 runs against Matheesha Pathirana in the 20th over, propelling RCB from 159 to 213 runs for five wickets by the end of the 18th over.
Despite his explosive hitting, Shepherd clarified that he did not enter the game with a premeditated plan to hit every ball for six.
"When I came in, I had a sense of their bowling strategy. Timmy (Tim David) advised me to maintain my stance since the ball was gripping the pitch. My mindset shifted to focusing on my technique, watching the ball closely, and hitting in my preferred areas without swinging too early," he explained.
When asked about the challenge of coming in during the 17th over and immediately attacking, he remarked, "It wasn't hard to watch them play, but I was eager for my chance, and today it came. I wasn't aiming to score 53 off 14 balls, but I wanted to help my team finish strong and regain momentum, especially since CSK had it in the last few overs."
Shepherd experienced a taste of his own medicine when Ayush Mhatre and Ravindra Jadeja scored 18 runs off his only over, but he remained unfazed by his own batting onslaught.
"Today wasn't a day to feel sorry for bowlers, especially since I conceded 18 runs myself," he joked.
"On a good pitch and small grounds, as a hitter, I aim to seize every opportunity that comes my way. Whenever I get a chance to bat, I strive to deliver a strong performance because I know that bowling can be challenging on these pitches against such aggressive batters. They really go after you," he concluded.