Revised target made it difficult for us: Gambhir

Delhi Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir says the revised target during the rain-hit Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Rajasthan Royals was a difficult one to chase.

Chasing 70 runs in six overs via the DuckworthLewis Method in a rain-truncated clash last night, Delhi suffered a 10-run defeat against the hosts.

Earlier, Rajasthan rode Ajinkya Rahane’s 45 to score 153/5 when the skies opened up in the 17th over.

“We were very much in the game. It was a beautiful wicket to bat on, then 150-odd for 5 in 18 overs, we thought we could contain them to 170 and it was chaseable, especially with dew coming in later on,” Gambhir said after the match.

“We were very much happy with the first innings. But then in 6 overs, 71 was tough. We had to go from ball one. Obviously with these sort of games, things could go either way. Just 2 overs of Powerplay, it’s very difficult,” the southpaw added.

“If it was a 20-over game, it would’ve been much easier to chase.”

Sanju Samson, who was adjudged Man of the Match for for his quick 22-ball 37, expressed pleasure on his team’s first win in the tournament.

Slippery pitch

A slippery wicket and a sluggish outfield made it difficult for Delhi Daredevils, said assistant coach Praveen Amre.

“The wicket was slippery and batsmen could not stand on it. The nature of the wicket also changed a lot because some of the moisture had seeped under the covers and outfield was also sluggish making difficult to get the boundaries,” said former Test cricketer Amre.

“We had to continue because it was the decision of the officials. Many a things come into play in such situations; we have to think about the poor spectators who kept on waiting for more than two and half hours for the match to start again.