IPL 2018: Match 36, SRH vs DD - Rating of the Match

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have potentially ended the hopes of Delhi Daredevils (DD) this season by calculating the chase of 164 runs perfectly. It was a complete team effort by them as the bowlers bowled well in the second half of the innings to pull back the score. Then, the top 5 batsmen contributed beautifully and took the team home. Though Delhi should be lauded for their efforts as they put extreme pressure on the home side and took the game until the last over.

A legend in the making: Prithvi Shaw (65 off 36)

This young kid is taking giant strides towards International cricket. Prithvi Shaw has mesmerized everyone with his technique. He is already being compared with Sachin Tendulkar which is huge and the most important thing he is not overawed with it. Shaw has stayed within his limits by playing the best way he can so far in his maiden stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

After having a sighter off the bowling of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he launched Sandeep Sharma into the stands in the very second over of the innings and announced himself. He reached for the widish delivery outside off and towered it over long on which flustered the bowler who faced such a treatment with the new ball for the first time this season. The shot got him going as he welcomed Shakib Al Hasan also with a maximum which was a more authoritative shot.

He continued having the fun in the middle but also rotated the strike which are the basics to play any long innings. However, he decided to attack Siddarth Kaul in the final over of the powerplay. He started off by picking the knuckle ball and smoked it over long on which left the bowler wondering what to do next. The shot put the pressure on Kaul and he gave away two more fours off the next couple of balls. The telling blow came then when Shaw transferred his weight on the backfoot and crunched the ball through the cover.

The shot had all class written on it as the commentators on air were in awe of him. He brought up his half-century off just 25 balls and went on to score 64 runs off 34 deliveries. He would be kicking himself for not being able to continue but it was a pleasure to watch him while he was batting in the middle.

Hales’ push upfront helps SRH (45 off 31)

Delhi had played their first innings cleverly by going hard against the new ball and posted a competitive total on the board. SRH were also expected to do the same as their openers Shikhar Dhawan and Alex Hales strode out of the middle. But they struggled completely and the tension in the change room mounted. The swashbuckler from England was expected to go bonkers from the word go but he was not being able to do it and the pressure was increasing on the team.

But Hales was calm and knew perfectly what he was doing in the middle. He chose Avesh Khan to launch his assault and it worked perfectly for the team and him. Much like it happened in DD’s innings, the final over of the powerplay went for runs again. Hales smashed him for 3 sixes in the over and the first of which was a pull over the mid-wicket fence. He shuffled around his crease and put the plans of the bowlers in jeopardy at the eleventh hour. The over went for 27 runs and this is where SRH gained momentum and in the end, went on to win the game.

Special Mention

Yusuf Pathan has to be mentioned especially here as at one stage it felt like SRH have left it too late. But his arrival in the 18th over changed the complexion of the game completely. He took on the best bowler of the opposition Trent Boult in the penultimate over by smacking him for a six off the very first delivery. Then he took the onus on himself in the final over and outthought Daniel Christian to win his team the game single-handedly. The six off the second ball was a brutal hit which went for a huge 96 metres.

Here’s CricTracker’s Rating of the Match: