Delhi Daredevils beat Kolkata Knight Riders in New Delhi on Friday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)
Delhi grow a spine
Just spare a thought for Shreyas Iyer. Barely two days ago, he was asked to lead Delhi Daredevils for the rest of the season, after incumbent Gautam Gambhir decided to step down after a string of losses. On the face of it, Iyer was a pragmatic replacement. He was young and has been the lone shining star with the bat for the Daredevils. But the 24-year-old Mumbaikar had no prior experience of leading a team. Barring the odd India A matches, Iyer has never quite been tested as a captain even at first-class level. In that sense, there was a concern about his ability to turnaround his side’s fortunes. To put things into perspective, Daredevils needed to win seven of their remaining eight league games to harbour hopes of qualifying for the play-offs.
Up against the rampant Kolkata Knight Riders, the writing was on the wall for Delhi and Iyer. On Friday evening at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Iyer became the fourth youngest captain in the history of IPL. When a misfiring Gambhir was dropped from the playing XI to incorporate Colin Munro, you got the sense of Iyer and Daredevils team management’s roadmap for the rest of the tournament. On his captaincy debut, Iyer’s batting did not display any signs of nervousness whatsoever. Instead, he came out all guns blazing.
Along with Prithvi Shaw, his young Mumbai Ranji team-mate, Iyer forged a rapid 68-run stand for the second wicket in 7 overs. Shaw, after a false start, in the last game against Kings XI Punjab, looked far more assured. The two Mumbaikars matched each other shot for shot, and there was an inherent sense of fearlessness that defined their stroke-play. They gave the sizeable home crowd the impression that they were carrying none of the scars of the tepid losses they had suffered earlier.
When Shaw departed for 62, Daredevils had notched up 127 in 14 overs. Barring a brief hiccup in the subsequent two overs, the home side motored along, after their captain hit overdrive. With help from Glenn Maxwell, the duo knocked the sails out of Kolkata’s attack. This was the period of play when Iyer, in particular, went ballistic. He was batting like a dream, creaming everything with utter disdain. The Daredevils captain, tore into young fast bowler Shivam Mavi in the final over, smoking him for four sixes and a boundary to garner 29 runs. In doing so, it propelled Daredevils to a match-winning score of 219/4. Iyer’s unbeaten 40-ball 93 gave his team the requisite head-start that was needed to galvanise their campaign.
Kolkata miss a trick
It’s the swagger that defines Andre Russell. The swagger that emanates from the supreme confidence in his all-round abilities. A thoroughbred T20 cricketer, this is a format that the Jamaican relishes to the hilt. Kolkata Knight Riders have gone all out to retain their talisman for this IPL season, and for a good reason. Despite Russell’s intrinsic value, the KKR has missed the trick by constantly dropping him down the order, sometimes as low as in the No.7 position. In doing so, they have put far too much pressure on the all-rounder to come good with the bat and bail them out of hapless situations.
A classic instance was during their game against Chennai, in which Kolkata kept Russell in the dug-out for the first half of the innings. By the time he had walked out to bat at No. 7, they were struggling at 5/89. Russell, however, played an absolute blinder, stroking a 36-ball 88 to take Kolkata to 202
In pursuit of Daredevils’ 219 at the Feroz Shah Kotla tonight, Kolkata wanted that impetus upfront. Inexplicably, they kept their power hitter waiting in the dug-out. When Russell finally walked out to bat , Kolkata needed 143 runs from 10.3 overs. A tall ask, but Russell continued with his blitzkrieg, smacking four sixes in a jiffy. He added 64 runs in a shade over 6 overs with young Shubman Gill, to take Kolkata within touching distance. However, quick dismissals, backed by some tight bowling at the death by Trent Bolut and Liam Plunkett, put too much strife on Russell. When Avesh Khan finally dismissed Russell in the 18th over for 44, Kolkata’s fight was well and truly over.