After a long wait, the Delhi Capitals finally delivered the type of performance they had hoped for all season. Their victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad was based on a strong batting display that propelled them to fifth place in the IPL 2022 points table. David Warner and Rovman Powell put on a 122-run stand off 66 balls, typifying the menace that Delhi had previously shown on paper.
“I think there’s always room for improvement,” Rishabh Pant said at the post-match presentation, “but this is as close to a perfect performance as a batting group, sure.” He’d failed to convert yet another start, dropping to a full toss after reaching 26 yards. However, DC came out of the game with a lot of positives, notably Anrich Nortje’s and Mitchell Marsh’s useful ball returns.
The fact that they were able to put on a strong batting display and finally have a top-order batter get a large score was one of the biggest pluses. Under ideal strokeplay conditions, David Warner’s 92 against his previous team required “no extra motivation,” according to the batter. But even he was taken aback by Rovman Powell’s powerhitting.
“It was difficult here in Mumbai because of the humidity, and I was growing older and more cooked. And having Rovman on the other end…got he’s some big power to clear the fences, so it was tremendous striking, and I’m pleased he was there “Warner deflected the compliments to his partner.
“I was catching up at the end, but it was foolish of me to try to run fast. He hits them hard and they go a long way, man “Warner screamed. “Even Livo [Liam Livingstone] – 117m – these guys are clearing fences like they’re nothing. I’m getting older, and I need to get back into shape. I’m just hitting 85 meters and need to hit one hundred meters at some point “After egging on Powell, Warner was left not out on 92. Powell took 19 off the penultimate over bowled by the pacy Umran Malik, but he did not get a chance at the century. Three fours and a six were hit.
“Yeah, I asked him [Warner] if he wanted a single to try and reach a hundred at the start of the over, but he responded, ‘Listen, that’s not how our cricket is played.’ I decided to smack it as hard and as far as I could, which I did “Powell chuckled.
Both Warner and Powell felt that the surface at Brabourne was ideal for batting, and the latter offered a simple strategy for dealing with such a pitch.
“It’s just that you occasionally plan for a specific ball, such as slower balls or yorkers. When you see the fast ball, you can hit through the line because the wicket is so fantastic. So it was simply thinking about the yorker and slower ball and stuff like that “Powell stated.
After speaking with Rishabh Pant, he was pushed up to No. 5 in the line-up, which also helped him.
“Rishabh and I had a talk. He entered my room and inquired as to where I wanted to bat. ‘Just believe me,’ I tell him, ‘and I’ll bat at No. 5’. My ability to play spin has improved over the last year or two, and I’m batting spin a lot better now. I also know how to bat pace. So at No. 5, I just tell him to believe me. Give me a chance to bat first, to bat the first 15-20 balls the way I want to bat them. Then I’ll try to maximize the next 20 balls “remarked Powell during the intermission.
“That’s how it works; I knew I was in fantastic shape and had put in a lot of effort before entering the IPL. For me, the start of the IPL was a little difficult. I simply continued to believe in myself “He went on to say after the game, “I spoke with Rishabh and explained everything to him. Yes, I was upset to bat at number eight in that game, but that is the nature of the game. Whatever position you find yourself in, you must come out on top. They came up with a solution and a strategy, and I’m now starting to bat a little early.”