IPL 2022: PBKS skipper Mayank Agarwal consoles Odean Smith after heartbreaking defeat against GT

Punjab Kings suffered a heartbreaking defeat on Friday (April 8) courtesy of Rahul Tewatia’s stellar hitting in the last over. The southpaw smashed two maximums when 12 runs were needed off the final two balls as Gujarat Titans recorded a thrilling six-wicket win. Odean Smith was the victim of Tewatia’s last-over heroics and needless to mention, the West Indies star was gutted.

Odean was given a cushion to defend 19 runs in the final over. As Tewatia was new to the crease, many didn’t back him to smash the pacer for successive sixes. The southpaw, however, did the unexpected as there was agony in the PBKS camp. Odean was evidently dejected as his emotions were caught on camera. Nonetheless, the all-rounder got support from his skipper Mayank Agarwal, who consoled him after the game.

Mayank Agarwal has been the standout as captain. Always been there for his players in tough moments. pic.twitter.com/4uiv9GAxdT

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 8, 2022

We totally back Odean Smith: Mayank Agarwal

Netizens were highly impressed with Mayank’s gesture as the opening batter would himself have been disappointed with the outcome. In the middle of this, however, he went to Odean and cheered him up. It must be noted that this is Mayank’s very first season as full-time captain. Despite being new to the leadership role, the right-handed batter has been pretty impressive.

During PBKS’ first game of the season, he was also seen giving Raj Bawa a pat on his back after the southpaw bagged a golden duck on his IPL debut. He has also been pretty impressive with his on-field decision-making and many are backing him to go a long way. Meanwhile, Mayank, after the game, admitted Odean had a bad day at the office but he ensured the all-rounder will continue to receive backing from the team management.

“Last over could have been anyone’s game. We totally back Odean, it’s fine, he probably had a hard game but that’s fine. We back him a 100%. It’s just a game of cricket, it could be a bitter one to swallow but it’s fine. The talk in the group is we always back the guys. If he has a bad day, he has a bad day, no worries, we back him 100%,” Mayank said after the game.