Pant, Iyer hit quickfire fifties to put Delhi in driver’s seat
FIRED UP Daredevils batters put up 196 off 17.1 overs in rain truncated match against Rajasthan Royals
NEWDELHI: Between two distracting phases of squall featured a T20 blockbuster all Indian in the making. A young but explosive core of Delhi Daredevils came, saw and conquered as Rajasthan Royals’ bowlers massively messed up their lengths.
Some things however remained unchanged. Glen Maxwell again failed to fire. Delhi were beautifully placed by then though, heaping 196 runs at the cost of six wickets in 17.1 overs when rain intervened. Royals had a revised target of 151 to chase off 12 overs.
Much of it was due to the phenomenal 92-run third-wicket partnership between captain Shreyas Iyer and a rampaging Rishabh Pant who unleashed a beastly 29-ball 69 to leave Rajasthan Royals in shock. Not to be forgotten though is the 73-run stand between Iyer and Shaw out of which the latter scored 46.
Sticking to the opening combination of Colin Munro and Shaw didn’t work out at home with Dhawal Kulkarni inducing a faint inner edge off the New Zealander’s bat in only the fourth delivery of the innings. Iyer, however, didn’t allow the dismissal cast a shadow for too long as he glanced Jofra Archer to fine leg and open Delhi’s boundaries account.
Shaw then picked two back of the length Kulkarni deliveries and deposited them over the mid-on boundary. He followed that up with a swatted four through extra cover but Kulkarni could have ended the over with his scalp had he held on to the ball whipped back to him.
Shaw has quickly proved to be one of those who can’t be given a respite. Royals realised it quickly as Shaw drove K Gowtham through covers before laying into Jaydev Unadkat. Not moving his feet much, Shaw picked his line and played through it, fetching two boundaries and a huge six.
Iyer wasn’t to be left behind as well, smacking two consecutive sixes off the last two deliveries of what was looking to be a decent first over from Shreyas Gopal. Pant was on his own trip though, murdering bowlers. It was only after Ben Stokes was given the ball that the runs were plugged a bit. He conceded 28 in three overs.
Kulkarni conceded 37 in three while Unadkat gave away 46 in four. Both were guilty of either bowling back of length or too full. That allowed Pant to quickly settle down in his demolition job. Not only were the lengths wrong to him, Royals allowed him the space to pull. Result was a mayhem as Pant completed his fifty off 23 deliveries before becoming the top scorer of the IPL and place Delhi in a winning position.