Quinton de Kock hit four and two sixes in the end against Jofra Archer but with the target achieved, he couldn’t complete his century. This was the second consecutive unbeaten 97 by a batter in the ongoing IPL after Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer’s knock a couple of days ago.
Rajasthan Royals pacer Jofra Archer’s sportsman spirit was brought into question after Quinton de Kock missed his third IPL century and first one for his new franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in his second appearance in purple in Guwahati on Wednesday, March 26. Just 17 runs were left to win and de Kock was batting on 81, needing 19 for his ton. De Kock slammed a four and six to bring the equation down to just seven needed.
With the result taken care of, de Kock could go for his century. However, Archer bowled a couple of wides, one far away from the off-stump and another down the leg, to bring the equation down to five. De Kock was still stuck on 91 and now had to hit a four, followed by six to be able to reach three figures.
De Kock hit the six to finish the game and ended up unbeaten on 97. The southpaw missed his century but was able to get his team over the finishing line. The fans on social media wondered if Archer, who was leaking runs aplenty, did it intentionally to cut a couple of runs from the target. Take a look at the reactions:
It has been a difficult start to the tournament for Archer, having conceded 76 runs in four overs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous game and 33 now off just 15 balls in Guwahati while going wicketless in both matches.
Having lost the tournament opener against RCB, the defending champions registered the first points on the board with a good all-round win after the bowlers restricted the Rajasthan Royals to 151. The Royals desperately need to turn their campaign around as they have already lost two matches and captain Sanju Samson is still one more game away.