Chris Morris stuns Delhi Capitals

The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium had played quite differently from the one in Chennai. With both teams, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals having a great top order, I expected a run feast. But what happened was completely different with the bowlers having the upper hand. As has been the norm this season, we saw Indian players once again standing tall and performing better than the seasoned international cricketers. It was a redemption time for Chris Morris who was denied the single in the last match as he hit 4 sixes in the last 2 overs to wrestle the match from the clutch of Delhi Capitals. Let’s now look into the hits and misses from yesterday’s encounter.

The Hits:

1. I had predicted in January this year that it’s gonna be Pant’s year and he is doing the same. Wickets kept falling around him but that didn’t stop Rishabh Pant to play his natural game. The crisp off drives were all timed to perfection and if he had not got run out, Rajasthan Royals would have had to chase a much bigger score than what they eventually did. I think that run out was the biggest turning point of the match. The half-century went in vain for Pant but he showed that captaincy pressure has not affected his game which was good to see.
2. Chris Woakes is one of the better all-rounders in world cricket these days. His batting talent is generally not seen by the fans because of the excellent top order that England has. Yesterday with Pant gone, Delhi Capitals ran the risk of getting all out before 20 overs but he along with Tom Curran built a good partnership to help the team reach 147 runs. His excellent spell with the ball during the power play brought Delhi Capitals back in the match.  He was the best bowler for Delhi Capitals yesterday returning figures of 2/22 in his 4 overs!
3. Avesh Khan continued from where he left off against CSK. Though he was taken for a few runs in his final over which dented his bowling figures he turned in another good performance with figures of 3/32. I don’t think Delhi Capitals can expect anything more from their supposedly weakest link in their bowling lineup.
4. Playing 3 left-arm pace bowlers is a rarity but Rajasthan Royals did exactly that and got rich dividends with Jaydev Unadkat picking up 3 wickets in the power play to stun Delhi Capitals! After the end of the first innings when he was interviewed he said in a tongue-in-cheek manner that he would like to chase the score in 10 overs but it’s not in his hands because he won’t be batting. Nature play in a way that no one can predict and little did he know that he would be required to bat and to his credit, he played his role to perfection by remaining not out for 11 runs which included a big six!
5. Rajasthan Royals broke the bank to acquire the services of Chris Morris. He is a very smart cricketer and over the years I have seen him play some smart cricketing shots whenever the chips have been down. When he was asked how he felt after being denied a single in the last match to deny him the strike, he was very forthright in telling that he knows that who is paid for batting and who is paid for slogging! Morris’ 38 runs off 18 balls gave Rajasthan the victory which looked quite impossible after losing Miller in the 16th over.
6. David Miller warned the bench throughout the IPL 2020 season. With Smith, Buttler, and Stokes permanently featuring in the playing XI it was difficult for him to break into the playing XI. It’s very different this year though with Smith no longer in the team and Stokes injured. It means Miller will be featuring in all the matches and most importantly he needs to perform well to keep the middle order intact for Rajasthan Royals. He showed good form against Pakistan and though he walked out yesterday with the scoreboard reading 17/3, Miller played the way he generally does. 17/3 became 42/5 and all seemed lost for Rajasthan Royals when Miller took the onus on himself to keep the team floating. He brought up his 50 in quick time and the only way Delhi could have come back into the match was by picking his wicket. To be frank, Miller threw his wicket away and allowed Delhi Capitals to claw back into the match because he had already hit Avesh Khan for 2 sixes that over and he could have easily avoided another big hit against him.

The Misses:

1. Both Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals have a very strong top order with big hitters amongst the midst. I expected the match to be high scoring because both the teams’ top order had a good outing in their respective previous matches. But all the top-order batsmen failed to deceived yesterday. It was good for both the teams in one way because it tested their middle and lower-middle order which would hold them in good stead in future matches.
2. Rahul Tewatia is looking a pale shadow of his 2020 avatar. Last year he played some amazing knocks when the chips were down but this year he failed to do it two matches in a row. His bowling also looks quite pedestrian because he is bowling too short. I hope he picks up his game quickly because he is one of those fringe players who is expected to get selected for India. 
3. Marcus Stoinis made a big difference to the Delhi Capitals team last season. He turned out with some match-winning performances with both the bat and the ball. But this season he is in terrible form. Unfortunately, his bowling is also not up to the mark. Will he be replaced by Smith? This is a big question that Delhi Capitals has to answer but how will they balance the team without Stoinis? It would be interesting to see.

What’s in store for the future?

Delhi Capitals have a big question in front of them and that’s about Steve Smith. To get a balance to the top order they need him to play in place of Rahane. Anrich Nortje has returned Covid positive so his participation in the first half of the tournament looks in doubt so I would suggest they drop Tom Curran and get Umesh Yadav in the playing XI. Otherwise, the team is looking good and I am sure they will reach the playoffs without much trouble.

For Rajasthan Royals, they have a lot of inexperience in their team so they will have to expect more consistent performance from their experienced players like Jos Buttler, David Miller, and Sanju Samson. They can bring in Livingstone in place of Shivam Dube and replace Mustafizur with Karthick Tyagi. Having 2 inexperienced players in the top 4 is a big risk for them and they need to look into it.

I will be very surprised if Rajasthan Royals along with Chennai Superkings make the playoffs this season.

So what do you think was the turning point yesterday? Was it Pant’s wicket? Or the 19th over bowled by Rabada?

Do write in as we wait for today’s Kingsized clash between Punjab Kings and Chennai Superkings!

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