With wickets falling in a heap and Delhi Capitals requiring 75 runs off 30 balls, it was down to Shardul Thakur and Rishabh Pant to pull off a rescue act against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday like Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel did against Mumbai Indians.
Thakur began with the right intent, depositing spinner Wanindu Hasaranga over long-on. Pant maintained the pressure by hitting a 4 off a fine sweep then launching a six over long-off. Just when Pant threatened to take the match away, Virat Kohli produced a moment of magic in the field by taking a one-handed catch at cover to foil Pant’s one-handed swat.
Pant had struck a 17-ball 34, and his dismissal took the life out off DC’s run-chase as they were restricted to 173/7 in reply to 189/5 with RCB winning by 16 runs. The RCB total was set up by Dinesh Karthik’s finishing pyrotechnics in front of a supportive crowd at the Wankhede Stadium. He hit 66 not out off 38 balls (5x4, 5x6).
Chasing 190, DC were relying on a productive powerplay. They had the openers for it, but Prithvi Shaw couldn’t contribute much on his Ranji Trophy home, failing to read a Mohammed Siraj slower ball and holing out to deep square leg on 16. DC still scored at 10-an-over in the first six overs thanks to David Warner, who comfortably dissected the inner ring. When he brought up his 50 in the ninth over, he was striking at 172 with minimum risk. In the 12th over, hitting boundaries at will until then, Warner made his first error that proved costly. He fell leg before after missing a switch-hit attempt against Hasaranga. His review failed and his wicket derailed the Delhi innings.
{{/usCountry}}Chasing 190, DC were relying on a productive powerplay. They had the openers for it, but Prithvi Shaw couldn’t contribute much on his Ranji Trophy home, failing to read a Mohammed Siraj slower ball and holing out to deep square leg on 16. DC still scored at 10-an-over in the first six overs thanks to David Warner, who comfortably dissected the inner ring. When he brought up his 50 in the ninth over, he was striking at 172 with minimum risk. In the 12th over, hitting boundaries at will until then, Warner made his first error that proved costly. He fell leg before after missing a switch-hit attempt against Hasaranga. His review failed and his wicket derailed the Delhi innings.
{{/usCountry}}KULDEEP WINS MAXWELL DUEL
For DC, Kuldeep Yadav produced another spirited effort. T20 can be a tough gig for wrist-spinners who trade by giving flight. Yadav gave another sample of his new-found mojo. When Glenn Maxwell began hitting against him with his 360-degree play—4-6-4-6—memories of one such forgettable over because of another RCB batter, Moeen Ali, would have crossed Yadav’s mind. But with the left-arm wrist spinner having raised his game, Pant kept faith. Despite the 23-run over, Yadav stayed in the attack and in the next available opportunity got his man caught at long-on by bowling a touch fuller. Maxwell’s destructive looking innings was cut short at 55 (34 balls).
KARTHIK FINISHES OFF IN STYLE
When RCB batted, the packed upper tier at the Wankhede which began by cheering Kohli-Kohli was going DK-DK towards the close of the innings.
With half the RCB line-up gone for 92, Karthik walked in to bat in the 12th over, much earlier than his death-over designation asks for. But expect Karthik to come into his elements come the death overs. After batting out five overs in tandem with Shahbaz Ahmed, after being gifted a life early on by Pant behind the wickets, Karthik turned it on in the 18th over against Mustafizur Rahman. He began the over with two improvised boundaries—a ramp and reverse scoop to third man boundary off a switched stance. Having sowed the seed of doubt in the bowler’s mind, and with the third-man back to save the boundary, Rahman kept bowling full and straight, and like an old-fashioned power-hitter, Karthik kept targetting the long-off fence.
The 28-run over got Karthik his 50; 69 runs came off the last four overs with Karthik and Shahbaz adding 97 runs in 8.4 overs.