Another day and another victory for Delhi Capitals in the 2020 Indian Premier League. The Delhi franchise has been relentless in their quest for first place in the IPL’s thirteenth season and further strengthened their position with a victory over Chennai Super Kings on Saturday . It was not an imposing performance from DC as they had to work very hard to clinch a five-wicket victory at Sharjah Stadium. Pursuing a goal of 180, the match went to the last finish with DC needing 16 runs.
Shikhar Dhawan was hitting at 101 and Axar Patel had just hit the area. At the crucial stage, there were two options against Captain Dhoni: Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja. Bravo was the logical choice due to his experience in death overs. But Dhoni in a surprising movement left with Jadeja. The plan fell through when Jadeja gave up 22 runs in the last over.
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Explaining his move to deliver the last one to Jadeja, Dhoni told host broadcaster Star Sports after the match, “Bravo I was not in shape. He left and did not return. The options were Jaddu and Karn. I went with Jaddu. Shikhar’s wicket was important, but we dropped it several times. If you keep hitting, you keep the strike rate high. Also, the wicket played better in the second half, but we can’t take credit from Shikhar. “
In the final two overs, Delhi Capitals needed 21 runs, but Sam Curran pitched brilliantly and gave up just four runs. However, a final cameo from Axar that saw him hit three sixes helped the Delhi Capitals chase the target with a ball to spare. Dhawan had also survived a scare at 99 in the penultimate over.
The field referee gave him away, but went to check immediately and the replay confirmed there was no advantage.
Dhoni said the wicket played better in the second inning and there was enough spray to improve the pitch.
“There was not much dew, but there was enough to improve the field. That makes a big difference: minus 10 when you’re hitting, and an extra 10 for the team that’s hitting second. One positive was Sam’s last. He needs to be convinced that he can run outside of the Yorkers, that’s something most of the coaching staff wants bowlers to do, ”Dhoni said.
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“If you don’t feel comfortable doing it, you can’t really push the game. I feel like this game will give him a lot of confidence when it comes to running away from the Yorkers, I think it will be a delivery that is a bit difficult to get right, ”added the goalkeeper.
With this victory, the team led by Shreyas Iyer has recovered the first position in the points table with 14 points.
(with ANI inputs)
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