Follow UsHave Delhi finally got their openers sorted?
If not for Ricky Bhui’s lack of form, Prithvi Shaw might not have played today. But his 43 off 27 and Warner’s 52 off 35 allowed DC a first-wicket partnership of 93, which became the bedrock of their 191 runs total.
Pathirana’s seething yorkers
Matheesha Pathirana left everyone’s mouth agape when he picked up Warner’s incredible catch. But those same mouths had a wide smile very soon when he clean-bowled Mitch Marsh and Tristan Stubbs off consecutive swinging yorkers. DC went from 103/2 to 134/4 within four overs, and ultimately, they failed to breach 200 despite Pant’s onslaught.
Pant is here, finally!
In the last two games for DC, Rishabh Pant looked like someone who was playing competitive cricket after 1.5 years, which he was. Against CSK at Vizag, however, he showed glimpses of his old self as his one-hand sixes and aggressive batting were back, and his 51 off just 32 deliveries took DC to 191/5 amidst Pathirana’s carnage.
Delhi Pacers show their class
DC overloaded their bowling with pacers, playing just one spinner - Axar Patel. That strategy worked wonders, especially for the CSK left-handers, Rachin Ravindra, Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja. They bowled quite wide, and that's how they picked up the first two left-handers.
Special mentions need to go to Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar, who picked up two and three wickets, respectively, by bowling the hard lengths, targeting the wide line, and mixing up their deliveries.
Is Dhoni finished as a batter? DEFINITELY NOT!
No Hukum song from the movie Jailer played in the background as the 42-year-old made his way to the crease, but he bossed the bowling by hitting three sixes and four fours, each proving that he still has it.
If not for Mukesh Kumar’s brilliant five-run penultimate over and Jadeja scoring just five runs on the six full tosses he faced, Dhoni looked in prime touch to finish it in style for CSK on the ground where he scored his first-ever international hundred.