Mumbai: Shikhar Dhawan struck a swashbuckling 92 as Delhi Capitals made short work of a 196-run target for a six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in the IPL here on Sunday. Dhawan looked in sublime form during his 49-ball knock that was studded with 13 fours and two sixes.Dhawan was ably supported by Prithvi Shaw (32 off 15) first up and then skipper Rishabh Pant (15) and Marcus Stoinis (27 not out) as DC chased down 196 in 18.2 overs.
Shikhar Dhawan, Player of the Match, said, ‘ It was a conscious effort from my side. I knew I have to improve on that (strike rate). Started taking more risks. Not afraid of changes, always open towards it. Not scared of getting out as well. Have worked on a few shots. My slog shot has improved a lot. It was there earlier as well, but now I play it more freely. I’m more relaxed, having played for so many years. Don’t take things for granted. Great opening with Prithvi. Happy with the way he played today and scored those 30-40 runs.’
Winning captain Rishabh Pant, said, ‘ Coming from a loss, winning the next match was important. Have already started enjoying captaincy. But we were under pressure at the start, the wicket was not doing much. Bowlers did a good job keeping them to 190. He (Dhawan) has a lot of experience. You can to talk to him about anything, how we can set the field, there are many stuff you can talk about. End of the day, what he’s giving to the team is commendable. I like to keep the environment light so people can be themselves and enjoy their cricket.’
Losing skipper KL Rahul, said, ‘Victory (on his birthday) would have been sweet, so it’s slightly disappointing. But we have a lot of games, so hopefully we come back stronger and win few games. Right now it looks 10-15 runs short, but I think 190-odd looked good. Me and Mayank thought 180-190 would have been great on this wicket. Shikhar batted well, so congratulations to them. When we come to Wankhede, bowling second is always a challenge. We prepare for such conditions. It does get difficult against these quality batters. I’m not saying that because I’m on the losing side. Bowlers try to bowl with the wet ball, but it’s always difficult to do that. I asked the umpires to change the ball a couple of times (as it was wet), but the rule book doesn’t allow that.’