Delhi Capitals 191 for five (Warner 52, Pant 51, Shaw 43, Pathirana 3-31) beat Chennai Tremendous Kings 171 for six (Rahane 45, Dhoni 37*, Mitchell 34, Mukesh 3-21, Khaleel 2-21) by 20 runs
At roughly 11 on Sunday night time, Visakhapatnam got here alive. ‘Hosts’ Delhi Capitals have been on their method to their first win, however the end result instantly appeared irrelevant.
The over went for five, and Tremendous Kings wanted 41 off six. Not possible if extras did not come into it.
That was no motive for the group to cease. Dhoni was on strike. They needed him to show the clock again. And he did, walloping Anrich Nortje for 2 fours and two sixes. Dhoni completed 37 not out off 16, Tremendous Kings fell quick by 20 runs, however you could not fairly say if the followers in yellow have been disillusioned on the end result or ecstatic at watching their hero do his factor.
Shaw, Warner lay down the marker
Seems they weren’t.
Coming in for native boy Ricky Bhui and slotting in on the prime of the order, Shaw laid the muse with a 93-run opening stand in 9.3 overs with David Warner.
All of the trademark parts of a Shaw innings have been on show: luxurious driving, fierce cuts and delectable wristwork. Warner was extra muscle, however he additionally had a tantalising impact along with his leg-side strokeplay. When he introduced up his half-century off simply 32 balls, Capitals have been flying.
Pathirana makes a splash
Pathirana was solely warming up.
His second act was much more sensational, regardless that it is one thing we have come to count on.
A ball after being dismissed for six within the fifteenth over, he splayed Mitchell Marsh’s center stump with a pinpoint yorker. Two balls later, he had Tristan Stubbs with one other toe-crusher. Capitals have been quick ceding momentum, and by the tip of that over had slipped to 134 for 4.
Pant involves the occasion
The early a part of Pant’s innings appeared like a wrestle. He saved shedding his form when balls have been dug into the pitch on a size. At 23 off 23, the frustration appeared all too evident. However he backed himself to emerge from the rut, and when he did, it was breathtaking.
He took down Mustafizur Rahman first and Pathirana subsequent, peppering the long-on boundary along with his robust backside hand and the shovel he is identified for. When he sliced Pathirana in the identical over to the purpose boundary, he’d introduced up a 31-ball half-century. A nineteenth over that went for 17 helped give Capitals momentum to complete on 191 for five.
Extra to observe…
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
