Ruthless Sudharsan-Gill
For a batting purist, Sunday’s game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium was a feast for the eyes.
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Delhi Capitals were clearly missing the biggest weapon in their arsenal: Mitchell Starc. In his absence, the reinforcement in the shape of Mustafizur Rahman — who flew down to Delhi after playing for Bangladesh against the UAE in the first T20I on Saturday night — yorker specialist T. Natarajan, or captain Axar Patel himself, were no match for the ferocious duo of Sudharsan and Gill. The openers put on an unbeaten 205-run alliance for a thumping 10-wicket win.
Their ruthlessness while playing textbook shots is something to be feared.
After opening his account with a four off Axar in the first over, Sudharsan charged against Natarajan. The short fine, point, extra cover and third man region were all breached as he took 20 off the left-armer’s first over.
He quickly raced to fifty, continuing the onslaught while his partner, briefly, was left behind in the 20s. Then it was time for Gill to fire full throttle. He started by hitting maximums off Axar and Kuldeep Yadav in back-to-back overs. He reached his half-century with a four and then a six off Dushmantha Chameera.
By this point, DC’s shoulders were already slumped. Gujarat were smelling blood and it fired Sudharsan even more. Usually a shy figure, the Tamil Nadu youngster was like a showman on Sunday. A six, straight as an arrow, just below the press box marked his century and Sudharsan celebrated by flexing his muscles before ending the game with another maximum, this time a pull over long-on.
It was indeed a potent statement from two of the most orthodox batters in the league.
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Rahul, Klass apart
Is it unfair to suggest that whenever questions arise about intent in Indian cricket, KL Rahul’s name inevitably pops up? He can only partly be blamed for the perception.
Arguably one of the most adaptable batters on the circuit, Rahul has time and again silenced his critics. After spending much of the season batting in the middle order for Delhi Capitals, he was thrust into the opener’s role on Sunday — and embraced it masterfully. Rahul struck a fine unbeaten — his first century of the season and fifth in the IPL — and it came against one of the most potent pace attacks.
For all the outside noise and clamour about his potential role in the national team, and the sudden vacancy of a No. 4 and an opening position , Rahul went about his business as usual.
Rahul’s innings was neither a statement nor an attempt to prove a point. There was no vehement celebration, unlike the Kantara-inspired one he unleashed after steering his team to a hard-fought win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. This knock was different. There was a sense of calmness to it. It seemed as if Rahul had found clarity — at least in his intent, if not in his exact role.
A perfectly-timed backfoot punch off Mohammed Siraj in the first over indicated that something special was brewing.
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After a few quiet overs, Rahul upped the ante with a couple of boundaries off Siraj before displaying his range-hitting ability against Kagiso Rabada. He welcomed the South African with a swivel pull, a flat slap through cover point and a straight six, taking 17 off his first over.
Sandwiched between two batters who struggled for timing — Faf du Plessis and Abishek Porel — on a surface that initially assisted pacers, Rahul kept the scoreboard ticking almost all by himself, taking Delhi to 45 in the Powerplay, of which 36 came from his blade. He kept the momentum on DC’s side after Du Plessis’ early dismissal.
His 90-run association with Porel for the second wicket gave Delhi the impetus they had been looking for. With Axar and Tristan Stubbs towards the fag end, Rahul reached his 100 in the 19th over, taking Delhi to a what was considered a fighting total.
Contrasting Powerplays
Gujarat Titans went with four pacers – Siraj, Arshad Khan, Rabada and Prasidh Krishna. Things started well for Siraj, who picked a good line to start with three consecutive dots. It was only Rahul’s class that made it an acceptable over for DC.
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Arshad was even more impressive. He executed his short-of-length deliveries to perfection against Du Plessis. Siraj, who has bowled the most dot deliveries this season, followed up with an economical over as he limited the openers to just singles and even beat Rahul on an occasion. Arshad reaped the rewards with a surprise full ball that Du Plessis hit straight to Siraj at mid-on.
After that, it was one-way traffic from Rahul, which resulted in Rabada bowling only two overs.
In complete contrast, GT openers Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill took Mustafizur and Natarajan to the cleaners. The duo kept the required rate in check, scoring 59 from the Powerplay. The second over, bowled by Natarajan, went for 20 at the hands of Tamil Nadu statemate Sudharsan.
