It was a case of fortunes smiling bright on the Delhi Daredevils as they registered a narrow four-run win via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method against Rajasthan Royals at Feroz Shah Kotla on Wednesday.
In the reverse fixture, it was Delhi who were hard done by, tasked with chasing down a near-improbable score in just six overs. A brilliant batting display from India’s young guns – skipper Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant – saw Delhi play with a kind of freedom that was missing in their camp while they were languishing at the bottom of the table.
Rajasthan, to their credit, came within touching distance of pulling off a spectacular win. Trent Boult, though, held his nerve. Here’s how the match unfolded:
Iyer, Pant and Shaw
One would think the rain delay would make the pitch slow, offering turn. Rajasthan took no time to get off the blocks, dismissing Colin Munro in the first over of the game.
The New Zealander’s wicket would go on to be Rajasthan’s lone bright spot for the next 15 overs. It was 18-year-old Prithvi Shaw who set the tone, not allowing the bowlers to settle down. Reputations be damned – it was his senior Mumbai teammate Dhawal Kulkarni who took a severe beating.
Iyer soon joined in. Shaw was effortless while going after the pacers, and was not afraid to use the long handle. Even Jofra Archer, Rajasthan’s standout pacer, was taken to the cleaners. The Shaw-Iyer stand accounted for 73 runs, which came in just 40 deliveries.
While Shaw and Iyer were making best use of their gift of timing and the ability to pinch gaps on the field with minimum fuss, Rishabh Pant took a different approach.
The left-hander was unorthodox and tried to score all around the wicket. Domestic cricket has shown what Pant can do while playing with freedom. Here, against a quality attack, he picked his targets effortlessly and was clean with his striking.
Buttler comes to the party
Jos Buttler has seldom shown the destructive force he can be when he gets going. And it becomes very difficult to contain the Englishman in that groove. His quick-fire centuries with England in One-Day Internationals has only enhanced that reputation.
With Rajasthan, though, much of the season has been spent with the the management trying to figure out which position he’ll be most effective.
Delhi’s bowlers tried their best to mix up their lengths and even vary pace, but the ball kept soaring over the ropes. Young pacer Avesh Khan was put to the sword while England teammate Liam Plunkett could only shake his head in disbelief as an effortless punch through extra-cover sailed over the ropes.
With Rajasthan needing a near-impossible 151 from 12 overs according to the DLS method, Buttler gave his team a fighting chance with a blazing 26-ball 67.
Delhi’s belief
The recent shake-up of the Delhi management, which saw Gautam Gambhir dropping himself, has infused a new-found belief in the side. Chennai Super Kings and the experience of their veterans might have drowned Delhi in their previous game. But against Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan, Iyer and Co showed a willingness to press home the advantage.
Pant changed gears with ease after his skipper and Shaw set the platform for a big score. Even the handy contribution of Vijay Shankar down the order came at a crucial juncture. In the bowling department, Trent Boult and Amit Mishra used their experience, not panicking when the ball was regularly carted to different parts of the ground.
Mishra, the most economical bowler of the match, foxed Buttler with a hint of turn. Boult took on unenviable task of bowling the final over, and showed nerves of steel. The Kiwi pacer was in total control with his slower deliveries and the wide yorkers. It is winning such close games that go on to be the building blocks of a successful team. Ask Chennai Super Kings.
