Shahrukh Khan‘s last-ball six sealed a third Syed Mushtaq Ali title for Tamil Nadu at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Monday. Needing 16 runs off the last over bowled by Karnataka’s Prateek Jain, power-hitter Khan kept his cool under pressure to clobber the final delivery over deep-square leg and take Tamil Nadu to 153 for 6 and seal a famous win.

As soon as Shahrukh deposited the ball in the stands, social media users reacted to what a thriller the final had been. Shahrukh remained unbeaten at 33 (15 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes) while R Sai Kishore was 6 not out (3 balls, 1 four).

“22 to get from 7 balls and Shahrukh Khan takes Tamil Nadu home. They are doing something right to have a record like that in the Syed Mushtaq Ali. Shahrukh has been one to watch for a while but so too Sai Kishore,” cricket analyst and commentator Harsha Bhogale wrote on Twitter. 

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“What a thriller it was…!! Shahrukh Khan made all the difference. Congratulations TN for successfully defending SMAT. Well played Karnataka, hard luck,” Venkatesh Prasad said. 

“The shot of the day for me came from @saik_99 , wonderful no look boundary mirroring Martin Guptill in the last over,” Ravichandran Ashwin tweeted. 

“Shahrukh Khan is the hero for Tamil Nadu, need 5 runs in the final ball and he smashed a six. What a hit, SRK in the Syed Mushtaq Ali final,” a Twitter user wrote. 

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“The last time Shahrukh Khan was trending in Tamil Nadu was when Lungi Dance released,” another one added.

Here are some reactions:

In the first innings, Karnataka rode on knocks by Abhinav Manohar (46), Praveen Dubey (33) and J Suchith (18) to post 151 for 7.

In their run chase, Tamil Nadu appeared to stutter after a bright start by opener C Hari Nishaanth (23) before he was run out. N Jagadeesan, the other opener, struggled to force the pace, making 41 from 46 balls as did skipper Vijay Shankar (18)

The two were dismissed by spinner K C Cariappa (2/23) to put TN in a spot of bother.

Tamil Nadu slipped to 95 for 4 when Shahrukh Khan walked in. He revived the chase with a quick 21-run fifth wicket stand with R Sanjay Yadav (5). Yadav too fell while going for a big shot.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, TN captain Vijay Shankar praised Shahrukh Khan for his brilliant innings.

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“Overall, we played amazing cricket. Everyone fought really hard. This innings was due from Shahrukh. He stepped up and did very well,” he said.

“Karnataka bowled really well in the middle overs. Really happy to be on the winning side. It was a fantastic effort from all the bowlers (throughout),” he added.

On his part, Khan said, “There were a lot of things running in my mind. The ball was soft and the wicket was rough. I got the room and cleared my leg. We believe in each other. Special thanks to M Mohammed, who has been an unsung hero for Tamil Nadu for the last three years.

“This is the first six I have hit off the last ball.” Karnataka skipper Manish Pandey said it was a bittersweet feeling to lose in the final.

“The boys did really well for us throughout the tournament. Tamil Nadu played really well. The top-order could have got a few more runs,” he said.