"Some of the best hitting I've seen" - Lanning on Shafali's knock

Marizanne Kapp and Shafali Verma made Gujarat Giants look like a school side and helped Delhi Capitals get their third win of the inaugural edition of the Women’s Premier League. After Kapp took 5/15 with the new ball, Shafali hammered 76* off 28 deliveries as Delhi hunted down a 106-run target in just 7.1 overs with all their wickets intact.

“That was a pretty cool show to watch from the other end. I was just cheerleading from the other end. Some of the best hitting I've seen. I said just keep it simple. Stay still and hit the ball straight. I'm still to get over it. It seemed like a new ball wicket. We just had to make sure what we had to do. Shafali didn't make it look very difficult. Those sort of chases can be tricky if you go into a shell,” said DC skipper Meg Lanning.

Lanning, who is currently the top run-getter in the tournament, herself made 21* off 15 deliveries and allowed Shafali to dictate terms. The young Indian opener smoked 10 fours and five sixes during her stay in the middle. “I wasn't in a hurry, but I was trying to give my best during the run chase. Now we can rest and enjoy ourselves,” said Shafali.

“I got out while playing flick in the last match, so I tried to play straight tonight. I would like to thank Lanning for her advice. I want to work hard in future and keep scoring and playing in the same way. We (openers) backed ourselves during the chase, kept talking to each other, and you know such small things matter. The pitch was really nice to bat on. We'll try to keep performing in the same manner in the upcoming games.” 

Shafali might have stolen the limelight in the second innings but it was Kapp who set up the game for Delhi. The 33-year-old from South Africa was yet to make a mark in the bowling department in this tournament but proved her worth against Gujarat. The right-arm seamer got the ball to swing and took five of the first six wickets to fall. 

“Just wanted to perform so badly. It's not been going so well. I felt I missed my line and length a lot in the previous three games. If you want to perform you need to put in the hard work. Good to contribute tonight. That's what makes it tough being an allrounder. If you bowl well and don't bat well, you don't feel good,” said Kapp, who was named Player of the Match.

Talking about Kapp, Lanning said: “Kapp's natural length is one that works on a wicket like this. She was excellent today, I love watching her bowl. She was frustrated with her performances so far - she shouldn't have been.”