West Indies seam-bowling all-rounder Odean Smith has heaped praise on his Punjab Kings skipper Mayank Agarwal and the Anil Kumble-led management for showing unrelenting faith in him.
Smith redeemed himself from the shellacking he had received from Rahul Tewatia earlier in the season to close out the game for Punjab against the Mumbai Indians on Wednesday night.
Speaking to the media following a thrilling last-over win against MI, Smith lavished praise on head coach Anil Kumble and skipper Mayank for motivating him and helping him mentally to get over the heartbreak from the game against Gujarat and put in a match-winning performance like the one he did on Wednesday.
"They have been very motivating. They have helped me mentally to come into this game and put in the performance today. They have been a major help for me. I want to thank the coach." said Smith.
"Captain Mayank has been amazing. He has always come to me and told me that he is backing me 100 per cent, no matter what happens. So it's just for me to believe that I can do it because I have the belief of the entire team behind me." he added.
Smith was at the receiving end of yet another heist from Rahul Tewatia against Punjab earlier in the season, for the uninitiated.
Needing 12 runs to win off the last two deliveries, Tewatia deposited the right-arm seamer for consecutive sixes to seal an epic win for his team.
Smith, meanwhile, got a chance to redeem himself against MI. With 22 in the bank in the final over, he conceded just nine runs besides claiming three wickets, albeit of lower-order batters like Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat and Tymal Mills.
He eventually finished with figures of 4/30 in three overs, paving the way for a thrilling 12-run win for the Punjab Kings.