'Want to dedicate this performance to my wife and newborn' - Nicholas Pooran after his remarkable knock against RCB

Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran dedicated his outstanding knock against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to his loved ones. Pooran struck a record half-century and led LSG to a one-wicket win over RCB in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match on Monday, April 10 at Bengaluru's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. He was also named 'Player of the Match' for his match-winning knock of 62 off 19 balls.

After the match, Pooran said that he would dedicate his performance to his wife and newborn baby. He said that skipper LSG skipper KL Rahul and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis formed an excellent partnership during the chase. He went on to say that Stoinis, who scored 65 off 30 balls, kept LSG in the game.

"I want to dedicate this performance to my wife and newborn. We knew that the game was on, Stoinis and KL had a wonderful partnership. Stoinis kept us in the game and I knew this was a nice wicket. We could chase even over 50 in the last four, it was about cashing in. The second ball I came in and smashed a six. It is not about getting a look in, if it is in my slot then I will smash it for six," said Pooran in the post-match presentation.

The former West Indies white-ball captain went on to say that he has had a lot of pressure to finish games in recent years. The 27-year-old also stated that he wanted to finish the game against RCB but couldn't manage to do so. He went on to say that all he wanted to do was enjoy his game, perform with a smile and entertain, and win matches for his side.

"Over the past couple of years, I have put a lot of pressure on myself to finish games. Today also I wanted to finish the game but got out in the end. I hope this is the season for me, in a good space and state of mind. I just want to enjoy my cricket, play with a smile and entertain, and win games for my team," he added.

Pooran stars as LSG beat RCB by 1 wicket in last-ball thriller

After being asked to bat first, RCB posted a massive 212 runs on the board, with skipper Faf du Plessis (79* off 46), Virat Kohli (61 off 44), and Glenn Maxwell (59 off 29) smashing superb half-centuries. For LSG, Amit Mishra and Mark Wood took the wickets.

LSG got off to a terrible start in the chase, falling to 23/3 in four overs. However, Rahul (18) and Stoinis put on a 76-run stand for the fourth wicket. Nicholas Pooran came in after Rahul and Stoinis were dismissed, scoring the season's fastest fifty in only 15 balls. He then put on an 84-run stand with Ayush Badoni (30 off 24).

In the final over LSG needed five runs and Harshal Patel conceded a single on ball one, and a wicket on ball two. On balls three and four, a double and a single were taken. Unadkat was out on the fifth ball, reducing the equation to one run in a ball. Harshal attempted to run out Ravi Bishnoi from the non-striker's end but failed, and LSG clinched a thrilling one-wicket win.