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'Defied gravity': Cricket legends stunned by insane IPL feat

Nicholas Pooran is pictured making an amazing save on the boundary for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.
West Indian star Nicholas Pooran's incredible flying save on the boundary line for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL left several cricketing greats stunned. Picture: IPL/Twitter

A raft of cricketing greats were left stunned by an incredible boundary line save in the IPL by West Indian player Nicholas Pooran overnight.

The 24-year-old impressed fans with an athletic play on the rope for Kings XI Punjab, who were defending their swashbuckling innings of 2/223 against the Rajasthan Royals.

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Pooran saved a certain six by soaring above the rope to knock a Sanju Samson slog back onto the field before he hit the ground.

The astonishing save caught the attention of a number of Indian cricketing greats, including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, along with well-known commentator Harsha Bogle.

“This is the best save I have seen in my life. Simply incredible,” Tendulkar posted on Twitter after the impressive play.

Pooran’s incredible catch was just one moment in a drama-filled and record-breaking match between the Kings and Royals.

Former Australian Test captain Steve Smith produced a solid half-century for the Royals, but it was teammate Rahul Tewatia who was the match-winner

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Tewatia hit five sixes in one over as the Royals successfully chased 224 to beat the Kings XI Punjab on Sunday.

It was the highest run chase in Indian Premier League history, with the previous record also held by the Royals when they chased down a target of 215 against the Deccan Chargers in 2008.

The Kings XI smashed 223 on the back of Mayank Agarwal's 106 and KL Rahul's 69.

But former Australian captain Smith (50) and Sanju Samson (85) built a platform for the chase before Tewatia walked in and struggled to get going on the flat Sharjah pitch.

With 51 required off three overs and Tewatia stuck on 17 off 23 balls, he smashed five sixes in Sheldon Cottrell's over to turn the tables before notching his half-century with another that cleared the short boundary in the following over.

"That was the worst 20 balls I have ever faced," Tewatia said. "I was not hitting the ball well initially (and) I saw in the dugout, how everybody was looking.

Nicholas Pooran is pictured playing for the West Indies in a One-Day International against India in March, 2020.
West Indies player Nicholas Pooran plays a shot during the third one day international match between Sri Lanka and West Indies at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on March 1, 2020. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP via Getty Images)

"The dugout knows I can hit the ball long. It was a matter of one six. Five in the over, that is amazing."

The Royals smashed 86 runs in the last five overs - a record in an IPL run chase - with England fast bowler Jofra Archer also getting in on the act with 13 off three before Tom Curran hit the winning runs with three balls to spare.

With AAP

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