IPL 2020 | RCB vs DC: What experts said as Kagiso Rabada inspired Delhi Capitals rout clueless Challengers from Bangalore
The Indian Premier League was back to its usual phenomenon of dull one-sided games as after the Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab game in Dubai last innings, Delhi Capitals too did a CSK on the Royal Challengers Bangalore, albeit in the reverse direction. While CSK had thrashed Punjab by 10 wickets, Delhi didn’t allow RCB to get into any kind of a groove, sending the Virat Kohli led side packing by a huge margin of 59 runs.
Having won the toss, Kohli, inspired by Dhoni and his team’s brilliant chase, decided to field on a used wicket. But his decision didn’t quite go the way he would have liked as the Capitals put on 68 runs in the first seven overs courtesy some brilliant hitting by young Prithvi Shaw.
Some quick wickets did give Challengers a chance to make amends in their approach. But as soon as they started trying, Marcus Stoinis (53* off26) and Rishabh Pant (37 off 25)put a blockade with their big-shots-induced counterattack leading to great recovery for Delhi who finally put of a more than competitive score of 196 on the board.
The rest of the work was completed by DC bowlers as without letting anyone off the RCB batters settle, except maybe Kohli (who also struggled), they removed the big guns before sweeping through the lower middle and tail. Rabada was the pick of them as he returned with the figures of 4/24 in his four overs.
Captains' Viewpoint:
Reacting to the victory, Delhi captain Shreyas Iyer said, “Getting four out of five, I will take that any day. Kudos to the boys for the temperament shown in pressure situations.”
Further, the Mumbai born revealed the strategy with which they take on any game. “Our strategy was to be fearless and play with full freedom. We have got good youngsters in our side, so we just need to go out and execute our talent and skills. I am very happy with the way things are going so far, and we need to keep up the momentum,” he said.
Praising the hard work of the team over the last two games, Iyer said that they would like to utilize the rest day really well.
“The boys have been working really hard and we have maintained our temperament really well. It is important for us to get a good recovery,” said the 25-year-old.
“It isn't easy going back into the bio bubble, so we try to spend time with each other and that is working really well for us,” he added underscoring the importance of team spirit and bonding between the players.
Speaki8ng about Amit Mishra getting ruled out of the competition, Iyer said, “It is saddening when a senior player who was doing amazingly well gets injured but we have got good replacements as well.”
“Chopping and changing spoils the atmosphere in the team so we're trying to keep it really simple,” he concluded.
Virat Kohli, known for not have a liking for losing games was critical in his analysis saying that his team let Delhi get off to good start. “I think they got off to a great start in the first six then we pulled it back in the next 8 overs and the last phase again got away from us,” he said.
The captain lamented missed opportunities and said that dropping sitters in a league as competitive as that was not acceptable at all. “Those important chances in between we need to grab when the opportunity comes our way, it is not like we are dropping half chances, we are dropping sitters and those things hurt you.”
“The execution with the ball towards the end could have been better and with the bat as well. Not a complete performance in any regard today,” he added.
Praising his opponents for their skill and execution, Kohli said, “I think Prithvi took the game on and we expected that, we kept a catching position and even tried to pick a wicket with the spinner.”
“We got into the game after the first six and then Stoinis batted really well in the end, we gave him a life, he took the game away from us,” he added.
Hoping that Chriss Morris would be added to the squad in the next game, the 31-year-old said, “We have four days to the next game, once he comes back into the squad it is a different balance altogether.”
“The good thing is we have won three out of five, we have lost two where we haven't played good cricket, so I think it is about rectifying those small mistakes,” Kohli concluded citing a positive from an otherwise forgettable game.
Expert Opinion:
The cricket experts and analysts too were full of praise for the clinical show put by the young Delhi Capitals team. Boria Majumdar, an experienced cricket analyst called Delhi the most balanced team saying that it seems to have a replacement for every player.
Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar too praised the Capitals for being extremely talented and for being able to execute their skills in a great way.
Getting focus on the finger spinners, veteran cricket commentator, Harsha Bhogle rejoiced the fact that three-finger spinners in the game, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar not only picked three wickets for themselves but also gave away very few runs.
The focus was further shifted by former India fast bowler and currently the coach of Goa's team in the Indian domestic circuit, Dodda Ganesh. He, standing in favour of Delhi spinner Ravi Ashwin said that he was absolutely right in warning Finch for a possible Mankad and the cricket community should speak on the issue.
Then finally came Yuvraj Singh, who praised Rishabh Pant for playing a tremendous paddle, coining the term 'Nicker shot'.
From here on, Delhi would now get a rest of two days before they come out all fresh to face the Royals from Rajasthan in the bowlers' graveyard at Sharjah. The Virat Kohli led team though would be up against Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings on 10th October at the same venue as today.