Kings XI Punjab scorer Shashank Singh said his mentality of always thinking that he is the best batsman helped him conquer the 200-run mark set by the Gujarat Titans in Thursday’s IPL match Ambitious goals. Shashank scored an unbeaten 29-ball 61 as PBKS won the match by three wickets on the penultimate ball of an exciting match.

“They (older players) are legends of the game but when I bat, I think I’m the best. You get experience, not being able to play a lot of games before. Here, the boss and the coaching staff are behind me. I am very confident,” said the 32-year-old all-rounder, who outperformed GT captain Shubman Gill on the day and his winning mentality also made him shine brighter.

The Man of the Match added that victory is yet to come.

“(Win) is still trying to sink in. Imagine all these things, but when it became reality, I was proud of my effort. The coach told me to react to the ball. The wicket was very good, the bounce was good. 200 It was split between two teams, so the wickets were great,” he added.

PBKS captain Shikhar Dhawan attributed the morale-boosting win to the duo of Shashank and Ashutosh Sharma (31 off 17 balls).

“It was a good game. Very, very close. The boys did the job. The plan was to get off to a good start but I got out early. We lost a couple of wickets early on, Shashank came and hit a huge blow,” Dhawan said.

“When you’re chasing a big total, you have to keep the momentum going. Shashank showed his class. Wonderful batting. He had such good control of the ball that it looked effortless.

“He stayed calm and finished the game. He started from seventh position and now showed a positive mentality. Ashutosh also came on and controlled the game well. The two young boys stayed calm and took the pressure on .” Skipper, who was dismissed after only one lap in the chase.

Sharma said he believed he could play a key role in the team’s victory and thanked Dhawan and the team management for showing faith in him.

“I would like to thank Kings XI Punjab for having faith in me. I am happy that our team won. Individual performance is important but the most important thing is that the team wins.

“Shikhar (Dhawan) told me a lot mentally. I was thinking ‘I will do it’. I won games for my team, so I was confident. After returning home, I was talking to “He said when you get the opportunity, you will do well,” Sharma said.

GT captain Gill said several missed catches cost the team a heavy price.

“A couple of catches dropped. It’s never easy on a wicket like this when you get the ball. It’s difficult to defend runs in these conditions. The new ball is doing its thing. There’s always room for improvement. I Think 200 is good enough,” he said.

“When you fail to catch the ball, you’re going to be in trouble,” Gill added.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)