Shane Watson has been one of the most prolific all-rounders in the history of cricket. Being a dangerous opener and a handy medium-pace bowler, he was a player any team and captain would have liked to have on their side. While in many cases, Watson has been the reason for the victory of his team, he recently recalled one particular instance where his performance cost his team the match and the title in the process.
The incident dates back to 2016 when Watson was a part of the Bangalore franchise in the Indian T20 League. Notably, Virat Kohli was leading the franchise that year and was in red hot form. He scored 973 runs in the season with four centuries in his bag and was looking unstoppable. He was the major factor for which Bangalore made it to the finals of the tournament.
In the summit clash, Bangalore faced Hyderabad. While chasing a target of 209 runs, Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle smashed brilliant half-centuries and brought Bangalore tantalizingly close to a win. But Hyderabad held their nerves and emerged victorious in the match by eight runs. The turning point in the match proved to be the last over in Hyderabad’s innings, where Watson conceded 24 runs. After having a sensational season with the ball, Shane Watson had a terrible time in the finals, he conceded 61 runs from four overs in the match. While recalling the spell that Virat Kohli his maiden ITL title as a captain and a player, Watson admitted that he was shattered after the match.
“The 2016 final which I played with Bangalore was something I was just shattered about. Because I know how much it meant to Bangalore to win that final. It was at home at Chinnaswamy. Bangalore had played so well all year, at the backend of that tournament in particular,â€- Watson said during a conversation on Delhi’s podcast.
“Virat in particular was on fire. It was his chance, one of the greatest players, to win that elusive ITL title as captain. And bowling that one over just shattered me. I just got it wrong and it felt like the end of time,â€- Watson added. However, Watson got a chance at redemption two years later while playing for Chennai. He grabbed the chance with both hands and scored a match-winning century for his team against Hyderabad.
