'Was batting on a different pitch' - Twitter in awe of Quinton de Kock for his 52-ball 80 on a tough pitch against DC

Lucknow Super Giants have won their third game of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season beating the Delhi Capitals by six wickets. Quinton de Kock was the hero for the KL Rahul-led side scoring more than half of the runs in the chase while the bowlers did a good job earlier in the day. However, DC bowlers should be credited for trying hard and taking the game to the last over. But LSG were too good on the day for them.

The chase of 150 runs must have seemed straightforward to many. But it wasn’t case with the surface slowing considerably as the innings progressed. LSG’s opening pair of KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, especially the latter, probably knew it as they took the attack to the position early on in the innings. De Kock showed his class playing some excellent strokes, especially off his South Africa teammate Anrich Nortje who endured a horrible day.

Rahul and De Kock added 73 runs for the opening wicket in less than 10 overs before the former’s stay was ended by Kuldeep Yadav. It wasn’t a good day with the bat for the LSG skipper could only score 24 runs off 25 deliveries. Soon Evin Lewis also was dismissed thanks to Lalit Yadav and at 86/2 in the 13th over, things looked in balance.

However, De Kock had other ideas as he continue taking charge of the innings to slam a brilliant half-century. Things were tough for new batters in the middle but the southpaw was batting on another level. He dominated the 36-run stand with Deepak Hooda before getting out for well-made 80 off just 52 deliveries. LSG needed only 28 runs off 24 deliveries when he got out. But there was still a twist left in the game.

DC bowlers came back well to being the equation down to 19 runs off the last two overs. But Krunal Pandya finally managed to make up for the dot balls he played hitting a massive six in the 19th over. A good penultimate over meant that LSG only needed five runs to win. Deepak Hooda got out off the first ball of the final over but Ayush Badoni, the wonder kid of the season so far, finished off the game nonchalantly to help his team secure their third win of the season.

Prithvi Shaw’s early blitzkrieg helps DC post 149 runs

Earlier, Delhi Capitals got off to a brilliant start after being invited to bat first. Prithvi Shaw seemed to be on a mission on the day as he looked mesmerizing with his stroke play. The vintage Shaw was on show with him taking on Jason Holder first and then Avesh Khan. In the third and fourth over combined, the Delhi opener smacked 4 fours and a six to get the team going in the powerplay. He smashed a fifty off just 30 deliveries and also took on Krishnappa Gowtham for a four and a six before getting out to the same bowler.

Shaw scored 61 runs off 34 balls in a 67-run opening stand for DC. David Warner was only a spectator at the other end watching the spectacle. But he himself couldn’t get going at any stage scoring only four runs off 12 balls. The middle overs turned out to be a nemesis for the Capitals as Ravi Bishnoi delivered a superb spell. He sent back Warner and Rovman Powell off his successive overs to leave Delhi reeling at 74/3 in the 11th over.

The run-rate came down even further with Rishabh Pant struggling at the start of his innings. He played out a maiden off Gowtham as well even Sarfaraz Khan tried to up the ante from the other end. The DC skipper finally connected a few in the 16th over giving ominous signs to the opposition. He smacked 18 runs off Andrew Tye’s 16th over even as the 17th over also witnessed 13 runs coming off it. The onslaught suggested that DC could make more than 160 runs in their innings.

But it wasn’t to be. Some excellent death overs bowling Jason Holder and Avesh Khan meant that DC could add only 19 runs in last three overs. Pant and Sarfaraz tried their best but couldn’t take the team’s total beyond 149 in their 20 overs. Eventually, the score didn’t prove to be enough for DC as they succumbed to their second defeat.

Here’s how Twitter reacted: