The Chennai Super Kings won the 2023 Indian Premier League last month in a dramatic final against Gujarat Titans; in a title clash that lasted three days and sustained rain interruptions, the CSK defeated Hardik Pandya's men by five wickets to lift the trophy for the fifth time – a record that the franchise now shares with Mumbai Indians. The final sustained an entire day's washout which forced the organizers to move to a reserve day; following the first innings, rain interrupted the match again, forcing a revised target for the Super Kings in a 15-over contest. Ravindra Jadeja eventually finished the winning runs as the match officially went into a third day.
Devon Conway, however, set the stage alight with his blitzkrieg early in CSK's run-chase. Chasing 171 to win, Conway scored 47 off just 25 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes in the final. He was named the player of the match and weeks later, in an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Conway revealed that it was a “rollercoaster” of a match and he had to resort to drinking multiple cups of tea to stay focussed throughout the night.
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“Very unique (three-day match) - an emotional rollercoaster. I had many cups of chai just to keep myself going that late at night when we were all waiting during the rain break, not knowing how many overs we'd get in our chase. It was a little unsettling," Conway said.
"Just before going in to bat, Mike Hussey [batting coach] told me, "Mate, think you want a can of Redbull to stay awake?" It was hard to stay mentally switched on, given how late it was. So I had a can of Redbull to get sharp and awake again. It ensured I was switched on from the first ball," he further added.
{{/usCountry}}"Just before going in to bat, Mike Hussey [batting coach] told me, "Mate, think you want a can of Redbull to stay awake?" It was hard to stay mentally switched on, given how late it was. So I had a can of Redbull to get sharp and awake again. It ensured I was switched on from the first ball," he further added.
{{/usCountry}}Conway also spoke about Ravindra Jadeja's winning runs, adding that the celebration party went till late in the morning.
“It was actually quite cool to finish the game that way, because we'd never experienced something like that. Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja] hitting ten off two to win it the way he did made it even more exciting and the boys went on to celebrate the win well into the night and early morning,” he said.