Former England football manager Gareth Southgate experienced his first visit to India, watching an IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens. The thrilling encounter saw KKR secure a one-run victory over Rajasthan Royals, who were chasing 207 runs in the match played on Sunday during IPL's 18th edition.
The match witnessed a nail-biting finish as Rajasthan Royals came close to chasing down KKR's total of 206/4 but fell short by just one run. Andre Russell's explosive innings of 57 not out from 25 balls and Angkrish Raghuvanshi's supportive 44 from 31 deliveries helped KKR post a formidable total.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Rajasthan Royals' stand-in captain Riyan Parag played a magnificent knock of 95 runs from 45 balls, but his efforts weren't enough to secure victory for his team.
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Who's that IPL player?Southgate shared his love for cricket and his experience watching the game at Eden Gardens. "Very often, when you play at Wembley, the crowd is a little bit quieter. I have always been a fan of cricket. When I was a young kid, I used to watch Test matches all day long. I mean, I am going back to the era of Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and players like that and then over the years, I got to know a lot of the players when I was playing for England, and I knew a lot of the England team. Last year, Ben Stokes came and talked to the England team. Also, with a lot of coaches, you learn a lot across sports, so that's really why I am here," Southgate said.
The former England manager emphasized the importance of learning from different sports. "Every sport is evolving rapidly, so much that coaches share, medical teams share, and yeah, it's always fascinating to go outside your field and learn from other people. As I said, I love the sport. So it's lovely to come here, and I have loved coming to India. It is the first time I have been to India. It has been amazing," he added.
The match featured a total of 16 sixes between both teams. When asked about his own six-hitting abilities, Southgate humorously rated himself "One."
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