Monank Patel, the USA captain, was inconsolable. He was told that he should sit out the USA vs. India match due to a shoulder issue after a torturous six hours of waiting at the Nassau Medical Centre hospital. Monank Patel was not happy throughout their trip back to the team hotel in Queens, despite the team doctor’s best efforts to diffuse the situation.
Following his phenomenal highs of an MVP performance against Pakistan that turned him into an overnight sensation in India, the news was devastating. In a masterstroke of bait and switch, he had fulfilled his childhood desire of defeating Pakistan in a World Cup match; nevertheless, fate had robbed him of his greatest ambition as a professional cricket player, which was to play India.
“It took me almost two days to come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t playing India. As soon as the groups were revealed, I started to picture myself taking on Bumrah and his gang. Not helping either were the incessant calls and texts from friends and family. I had to shut myself in a room and work through it. When the teams lined up for the national anthems, I realised how big of a deal this was. As USA captain, it would have been a significant occasion for me to go out for the toss. However, it is all history, Monank Patel stated to Cricbuzz.
However, Monank Patel situation deteriorated from that point on.
It ended out that the World Cup match against Pakistan was his final one. After recovering from the injury, a few single-digit scores in Morrisville during this season’s Major League Cricket (MLC) compounded to his mental problems. He was desperate to return to Dallas. His own fantasy amphitheatre. To pick up where he had left off once more. After the Pakistan game, he went to the place where he had experienced his father’s embrace for the one and only time in his adult life.
“I had a feeling this would end badly. I had ran out of runs. This is where I stand. Here, I’ve performed admirably. wished to carry on with my form. I was told I was batting at number four in this game by Coach Robbie when he called me into his room. I informed him that my competition would begin today. I was excited to go to Dallas without any luggage. It was supposed to be a new beginning because we were not returning to Morrisville. After nearly winning the match with a 61-run knock from 45, Monank Patel stated, “All the remaining games are supposed to be here.”
His knock was a two-fold story. He looked utterly at sea as wickets tumbled all around him as he hobbled to 9 off 16 deliveries. He made an aggressive attempt to regain the magic of the Pakistan game, which was inconsistent with his ability to attack with a deft touch.
While practicing a shot after a dead ball, he unintentionally disturbed the stumps after his sixteenth delivery. When his bowlers struggled for extended periods of time to create a breakthrough, Monank Patel would frequently change the bails about in the field to put a spell on the proceedings in BCCI age group tournaments. The script was turned for him when the umpires correctly positioned the stump set back. The following ball, he was dropped off a sitter, but he hit 51 off the next 28 deliveries, nearly pulling off an unlikely heist with Rashid Khan. Before departing for 50 off 23, Rashid put on an incredible 97-run partnership for the fifth wicket, giving the Texas Super Kings a serious fright.
“I was aware that my rhythm wasn’t correct. I had to stay in there, I knew that. I remembered Nicholas Pooran’s pre-game remarks. He was aware of my displeasure following my defeats in the first two games. I had to earn the right to be Monank Patel once more, he informed me. I’d have to gust it out in the midst to be at my best again.”
In order to halt the Super Kings momentum, MI New York decided to take a batting timeout in the 13th over after Tim David was removed from the game. In a desperate attempt to step it up, Monank Patel head and posture were all over the place, so batting coach J Arun Kumar urged him to check them.
“I was asked to play my game, which is cricket shots, by Rashid. “I will swing wildly instead of you,” he shouted. “Aap jo karna chah rahe ho woh mein karunga.” He went on to say, “I won’t succeed if I try to score like you, and you won’t succeed if you try to score like me.”
Pooran said that Monank Patel had returned to his old self, having improved his timing and shot selection. With a thump, he threw himself at the sight screen off Dwayne Bravo. Stylish upper cuts replaced ugly hoics. He bided his time till the ideal length to pepper the cow corner with a few sixes. In the twentieth over, Monank Patel and Rashid fell to reduce MI New York’s deficit to 15 runs.
“Rashid suggested that we aim for 30 in the next two, meaning that we should have 50 in the third. This is precisely what took place. He made an effort to get as close to the sum as he could. We knew at some point that we could win it from there. We will benefit greatly from the smaller margin of defeat when the competition comes down to the wire.”
Also Read: Knight Riders aim to go back to their winning ways.
Regardless, Monank Patel turned the tide in his batting career. It’s debatable if that was a calculated move on his part to rattle the stumps during his shot practise.
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