Follow UsDelhi Capitals (DC) went on to register an easy win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 22 (Tuesday) and went one step closer to assuring themselves of a place in the playoffs. While a target of 160 was not daunting, DC batters professionally went about their business and got him by eight wickets and 13 balls to spare.
Opening batter Abishek Porel hit a superb fifty and also put on 69 runs for the second wicket with KL Rahul.
Porel, who was dismissed for a two-ball duck in the earlier game of the season against LSG, redeemed himself with a 36-ball 51, and he feels that the backing of his captain and the entire support staff has been crucial.
"I know what my game is, and the support staff knows it too. The support staff obviously tells me to play freely, not to take too much pressure, because they’re there for me – it’s not like I’m alone. Even the captain told me, after a couple of rough innings initially – like in the first match when I got out for a duck – I did feel a bit of pressure, thinking the season hadn’t started well,” Porel said in the post-match press conference.
“But at that time, everyone backed me – KP [Kevin Pietersen] backed me a lot, Hemang [Badani] Sir backed me, the captain backed me. He kept telling me, ‘You batted really well against LSG last year,’ so that sort of motivation from the senior players really helps. Like even Kuldeep [Yadav] bhai, he says it too – that my batting is really good, that I’ve got great timing.
“So somewhere, I feel that when others back you like that – even if you yourself aren’t backing yourself at the moment – it’s very motivating. You start thinking, ‘If they believe in me, why shouldn’t I believe in myself?’ And I think that’s showing in the results now. I feel like I’m playing freely, playing my natural game, focusing on my strengths."
Porel is the second-highest run-getter for DC this season with 225 runs at 32.14 to go with a strike rate of 146.10. DC are currently second in the IPL table with 12 points. They take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) next on April 27 (Sunday).