MS Dhoni failed to take Chennai Super Kings to a win against Delhi Daredevils. (BCCI)
After picking up a consolation 34-run victory over Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils allrounder Harshal Patel, who was adjudged the man-of-the-match on Friday for his performance, credited his teammate Vijay Shankar for the side’s batting in the death overs. Patel, who scored 36 runs in 16 balls, hammering the experienced Dwayne Bravo for four sixes in the final over, spoke to the reporters at the press conference and said that it was special how the team batted in the final three overs.
“Basically we had a strategic timeout in the 16th over and we decided if we can get 140, it can be a fighting total. And we can still get them out early and win a game. But the way Vijay and I batted in the last three overs was really special,” the 27-year old said.
With the help of some big shots in the final few overs, Delhi Daredevils managed to post a total of 162/5 in 20 overs. Patel also displayed a solid performance with the ball as he gave just 23 runs in his four overs and took the precious wicket of Ambati Rayudu who had already scored his fifty in 29 balls.
The allrounder noted that the pitch was on the slower side and did not improve in the second innings. “Even in the second innings when the dew came on, the wicket didn’t get a lot better, which it did in the last two games. So it was not coming onto bat. We decided that in the last two games, we had bowled too full. So we decided we don’t want to repeat that mistake, but stick to what we do best and hope for the best,” he said.
In their reply, CSK only managed to reach 128/6 in their 20 overs, and failed to clinch a win. Patel said that his side stuck to their plans, which made the task of defending easy for them. “I think defending on this ground is always difficult. But at the same time, if you have your plans and if you can stick to it, more often than not, you’re going to succeed. 160 [162] was not a winning total, but we knew that if we show good energy, stick to our plans and field well, we have a good chance of winning,” he said.
Speaking about the opposition’s captain, Patel said that his side ensured that tehy bowl slow and wide to MS Dhoni to ensure that he does not get the ball in the right areas. “I mean we all knew what he can do and we knew what his strong zones were. So the plan was not to get hit in his strong zone. We wanted him to hit in areas where he is not really comfortable. So we came up with a plan [and that was] to bowl slow and wide and executed it really well,” he said.
Delhi Daredevils will face their final game this season against Mumbai Indians on Sunday.