He pole vaulted into stardom. His 120 off 63 balls left the experts gasping for breath. The opposition looked devastated. And when he shone with the ball in taking 4/29, the IPL fans were stunned. He scored 75 in the same match, powering Punjab to victory. Paul Chandrasekhar Valthaty.
Adam Gilchrist, the Punjab captain said that batting with the new sensation is great fun. " He worked hard in our camp and pre-tournament practice matches. I was trying to hang in with Paul. It was nice to get that partnership. The way Paul was going the total wasnt enough. He has had a very busy couple of days with messages and all, but he has dealt with it very well. We complemented each other very well through phases. I was giving him the strike early on, but later he did the same. It was a tough chase. If you play as well as Paul did, you end up winning easier. They had a very experienced bowling line-up, very pleasing for our batsmen to come through".
Meanwhile, Valthaty said he was inspired by Gilchrist. " Batting with Gilly is obviously inspirational as he is one of my heroes when I started my cricket. Gilly always tells me to watch the ball hard and bat to your strengths. In T20 cricket, it is obviously important to have a clear mind". said the new star who has zoomed to the IPL firmament.
Valthaty said that his friends and family had advised him to be cool and not to succumb to match pressure.
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