Kolkata: Harry Brook who was trolled by the Indian Premier League fans said he was happy to have his maiden IPL hundred and that it will "shut them up" for good. In three games, Brook mopped up 29 runs and in the fourth a 55-ball unbeaten 100 came off from his bat which ensured a 23-run victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in the Friday night match.
On the price tag at which he was purchased, the batter said he did put pressure on himself in the first few games. Obviously. You started to doubt yourself. But tonight I went out there with 'I don't care mentality' and thankfully came off.
"I was putting pressure on myself a little bit. You go on social media and people are calling you rubbish. There's a lot of Indian fans out there who'll say well done tonight. But they were slagging me off a few days ago. Glad I could shut them up to be honest," Brook said after the match. He rated his three Test hundreds in the latest season over this maiden IPL ton. He was also satisfied to get to the milestone while his girlfriend was cheering him from the stands. "My four Test hundreds will have to be over this one. Unfortunately!" he said. It was a "special night" and Brook insisted that he can bat at any position.
Also read: IPL 2023: Brook ton seals SRH's 23-run win over KKR
"It was a special night. Thankfully, we got over the line as well. Got a little tense in the middle. A lot of people say that opening the batting in T20 is the best time to bat. "I am happy to bat anywhere. I've had a lot of success batting at five. Made my name there. The crowd was phenomenal tonight. I enjoyed it," Brook said.
Skipper Aiden Markram said it felt good winning away from home. "Was always going to be a tight game. With their firepower, we knew the total wasn't safe. Our bowlers showed character. I was fortunate that we got off to a great start. Makes life easier. We bat quite deep so you get the freedom. It's a great bunch of guys. It's cricket at the end of the day, always going to teach you a lesson."
