IPL 2019: Match 26, KKR vs DC - Who Said What

Shikhar Dhawan played his first meaningful knock of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) and it turned out to be match-winning for his team. The Delhi Capitals (DC) made it 2-0 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) this season. The home team, on the other hand, has lost two matches on the trot now and their bowling is a serious worry. Even their batsmen are not clicking apart from Andre Russell who once again crossed the 40-run mark for the sixth successive time.

Apart from Russell, Shubman Gill showed his class on the day while opening the innings. He was getting wasted down the order and the young kid proved his mettle when promoted up the order. It was all about placement from him on a decent pitch at the Eden Gardens. Gill looked set for a big one before Keemo Paul dismissed him for 65 off just 39 balls. Russell slammed 45 off just 22 deliveries but his wicket put the brakes on the run-scoring in the last couple of overs.

KKR couldn’t get the final flourish and they finished the innings on 178/7 after 20 overs which was under-par according to many.

Dhawan made the chase look easy

Shikhar Dhawan got off the blocks quickly in the chase. Though he lost Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer early from the other end, the southpaw played his shots fearlessly in the powerplay. Once the field was spread, he and Rishabh Pant rotated the strike well and stitched a decent partnership. Both added 105 runs for the third wicket and by the time, the latter got out to Nitish Rana, the result was a foregone conclusion.

Shikhar Dhawan and Colin Ingram completed the formalities as the Delhi Capitals got over the line in the penultimate over itself. The Delhi lad though remained unbeaten on 97 and missed out on a well-deserved century. However, the team comes first and they fittingly won the game with seven wickets in hand.

Man of the Match, Shikhar Dhawan said:

I knew it could be my first T20 hundred but the team goal is more important, hence I took that single rather than taking a huge risk. It’s totally opposite here compared to Delhi. I was telling Dinesh the same thing. It’s a good wicket to bat on.

Good for the bowlers as well as the batsmen, makes it interesting. In Delhi we have to adapt ourselves, hence we got to have that skill. I really enjoyed in the first six overs but I knew I had to stay till the last. I was getting the right thoughts and I had to take the game deep. Rishabh is such a big hitter he can always hit it out of the park.

Delhi Capitals skipper, Shreyas Iyer said:

It is an amazing feeling. Before the game, I was recollecting the last win. It is a good victory. Back-to-back wins feel nice. It was really tough for us to decide the team. Out of the 12 we had, we had one change. I think it was a good move to get in Keemo Paul.

We love to bat on such tracks. We love batting on variable tracks. The way Dhawan batted, he showed his experience and class. Was well appreciated the way he played. Amazing to watch him. Today he came out and delivered the goods. He is an amazing personality and is good to have him around the team.

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper, Dinesh Karthik said:

To be honest the par score was 10-15 runs more than that. We didn’t bat well and didn’t post a good score. I expected our bowlers to perform better, that didn’t happen though. Such things happen in a game of cricket.

They (Lynn and Narine) are two key players and missing them is never good. But Shubman grabbed the opportunity and played really well. You are always going to have replacements. It was hard on Joe to get out on the first ball, but I am sure he’ll come back strong in the next game.

I think picking wickets on this ground has been difficult but bowlers can work on few areas and come back harder. That’s what IPL is all about, coming back stronger every time you can.

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