Meraj Sheykh helped Dabadng Delhi beat Tamil Thalaivas. (Source: AP)
Dabang Delhi needed a miracle to complete their second win this season. Trailing 27-29 with a minute left in the match, Delhi looked to their top raider Meraj Sheykh. The onus was on the Iranian to pull off something sensational and help his team. He did exactly that. A super raid in the last minute turned the game around and gave Delhi three points. From the brink of defeat, Delhi made a dramatic comeback to beat Tamil Thalaivas 30-29 in a contest that was dominated by the team from Chennai, only the final minute.
“We wanted one win and I’m sure this will give us confidence,” Delhi coach Ramesh said. “Meraj was under pressure and consulted me if he should send Abolfazl to raid. But I insisted him to make the raid. Eventually, he got us three crucial points. Nobody had thought of that.”
Meraj carried the load for Delhi from the word go. However, he only got support from fellow countryman Abolfazl. Abolfazl, who was brought in replacing Viraj Vishnu Landge, scored a super 10. His back to back four successful raids kept the scoreline tight and didn’t let Tamil Thalaivas extend their lead. Calling it a blunder, Tamil captain Ajay said, “Our defence made a lot of mistakes. In spite of points coming in raids, we never got support from the defence.”
While Ajay Thakur looked in fine form and scored points with ease, the Iranian duo kept their nerves tight. After being criticised by coach K Baskaran, Ajay proved his mettle by scoring 13 points from 25 raids. As Ajay did the most of the job for his side, Delhi’s defence didn’t let the pressure build on Meraj and Abolfazl.
Tamil coach Baskaran was upset with the way his team gave away three points in the penultimate minute. “We didn’t expect Meraj scoring three points. Our strategy was to give one point. Despite having the lead, it was a foolish move from our defenders,” he concluded.
