Revised target made it difficult: Gambhir

jaipur — Delhi Daredevils skipper Gautam Gambhir feels that the revised target handed to his side during the rain-hit Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Rajasthan Royals was stiff to chase with just two overs of powerplay.

“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.”

On the other hand, Sanju Samson, who was adjudged Man of the Match for his quick 22-ball 37, expressed pleasure on his team’s first win in the tournament. “Feels really amazing. We wanted a win badly at our home ground and it feels good to get our first win of the season,” the 23-year-old said.

“I think it’s about the preparation, we had about 4 camps before the IPL and an excellent support staff who give us lot of freedom,” he added.

Australian pacer Ben Laughlin (2-20) picked up the wickets of Glenn Maxwell (17) and Vijay Shankar while Jaydev Unadkat (1-24) accounted for Rishabh Pant (20) to never let Delhi come close to winning in harsh circumstances.

Opener Colin Munro (0) was run out without facing a ball. Chris Morris (17 not out) and Shreyas Iyer (0 not out) were at the crease.

Earlier, Rajasthan rode on Rahane’s 45 to get to 153-5 when the skies opened up in the 17th over with Rahul Tripathi (15) and Krishnappa Gowtham (2) at the crease. .