Rishabh Pant's IPL 2021 captaincy debut got off to a winning start as the CSK vs DC encounter ended with a thumping win for Delhi.
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Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals was billed as the battle of the master and the apprentice. MS Dhoni, the man who held fort behind the stumps for India for years, took on Rishabh Pant, the man seen as his natural replacement. And the CSK vs DC IPL 2021 encounter didn’t disappoint. The second game of the tournament was a high-scoring one and saw plenty of bowlers suffer. Yet it was last year’s finalists who came out on top at the end. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw ensured there no hiccups despite chasing a stiff target in the second innings.
Elegance. Class. Finesse and then thoda sa “Machayenge” ?#YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021 #CSKvDC @PrithviShaw pic.twitter.com/zW46osfWbp
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 11, 2021
As always, the match left fans with plenty of talking points. Here are the key takeaways from the CSK vs DC match:
It would be a gross oversimplification to say that Pant completely outdid Dhoni in all departments. However, it was a rare off night for Captain Cool on Saturday. By contrast, Pant seemed more assured with his decision-making.
The battle with the bat was also won by Pant, who came in to finish the innings after the Capitals lost a few wickets. By contrast, Dhoni was clean bowled for a first-ball duck – his first since 2015!
One of Delhi’s biggest issues last season was the lack of quick starts from the top order. Prithvi Shaw being in poor touch didn’t help matters, neither did Shikhar Dhawan’s tendency to start slow.
However, both looked in fine fettle this time around. Both went for their shots as and when needed and they comfortably blunted CSK’s bowling attack. DC will want more of the same from the two.
Neither Anrich Nortje nor Kagiso Rabada were available for selection due to quarantine regulations. And while DC managed just fine with Tom Curran and Chris Woakes, their bowling lacked the cutting edge provided by the South African duo.
Nortje and Rabada were a key reason behind Delhi’s run to the final last season. Ricky Ponting and co. will hope they can make a similar impact once they are available for selection.
Moeen Ali usually plays as a lower-order slogger in the England set-up. However, needing some firepower atop the order, CSK promoted him to number three. And what a decision it was.
Having lost both openers cheaply, CSK needed to counter-attack and Ali did just that. His quickfire 36 helped get CSK’s innings back on track. What’s more, it also laid the foundations for Sam Curran’s late surge. Speaking of which…
Brothers coming up against one another in different IPL franchises is nothing new. However, it is still quite the sight to see two siblings slug it out.
The battle was largely won by Sam, who smacked his elder brother for two fours and two sixes during the course of his innings. His 15-ball 34 also helped CSK post a competitive total.
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