Twitter Reactions: Shikhar Dhawan's scintillating knock takes Delhi Capitals over the line at the Eden
KKR put an under-par total on the board and they were always behind in the game.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lost their first game of the season at home. The Delhi Capitals (DC) trumped them for the second time in this edition and this time was the experience of Shikhar Dhawan who took them over the line. The left-hander brought all his class to the fore but missed out on a well-deserved ton. But the way he batted, Dhawan has announced his arrival, a tad late, in the IPL.
It was a good start for the Capitals in the chase as they got off the blocks very quickly in the first couple of overs. But Prasidh Krishna dismissed Prithvi Shaw courtesy of a flying DK (Dinesh Karthik) and soon Shreyas Iyer was also sent back. However, these were the last moments in the match when the KKR celebrated. Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant got together then and calculated the chase perfectly.
The former was in the mood and he paced his knock well. He was criticised of playing very slowly earlier in the season but the southpaw made a stunning comeback. He was decently supported by Pant who looked to hit the ball hard at the start of the innings but then adjusted according to the situation.
It was him who unleashed the killing blows in the end to bring the required run-rate down even as Dhawan remained unbeaten on 97. Colin Ingram slammed a six eventually as the Capitals registered their fourth win of the season.
Gill stars for KKR
KKR surprised everyone by dropping Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine in this game and dished out a completely new opening pair. Joe Denly and Shubman Gill were sent up the order to show their prowess but the move failed miserably. The former, making his IPL debut, was castled off the very first delivery of the game with a vicious inswinger by Ishant Sharma.
The ball nipped around for a couple of overs but then nothing happened. Gill saw off the tricky period and then it was all about some classy stuff from him. Robin Uthappa played second fiddle to him and let the youngster take charge superbly. Gill raced away to the half-century even as Uthappa and Nitish Rana were dismissed from the other end.
Andre Russell’s arrival gave him some time to breathe but Keemo Paul snaffled the talented batsman but not before he scored a classy 65. This knock has surely sent a message to the team management that Gill was being wasted down the order since last year. Russell, meanwhile, got in and slammed 45 runs off just 22 balls. The small ground meant the edges were also flying over the ropes.
He was looking dangerous even though the bowlers bowled with perfect plans. Finally, Chris Morris bowled one wide from round the wicket and the Caribbean was caught in the deep. The KKR couldn’t get the final flourish and they had to finish at 178 runs for the loss of seven wickets after 20 overs.
But the total was never going to be enough for them to win and a masterclass from Dhawan ensured that the Capitals made it 2-0 against them on the day.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
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