IPL 2021: Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje's heroics help DC restrict SRH to 134

South African pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje delivered a fantastic performance to help Delhi Capitals (DC) restrict SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) to a score of 134/9 in an IPL 2021 league encounter. Rabada and Nortje accounted for three and two wickets respectively, in the clash which marked the maiden game of both teams in the second half of IPL 2021. The former accounted for the dismissals of Wriddhiman Saha, Manish Pandey and Abdul Samad. Nortje sent David Warner and Kedar Jadhav back to the pavilion, delivering a splendid performance with just 12 runs conceded.

“It was good, nice to be out here in Dubai. Hard lengths were working for us and nice to stick to that plan. Personally I was feeling very good, bit of different conditions there(in Sri Lanka) played a couple of games and it didn’t feel too bad. I don’t try to think about it (pace), just try and keep it simple. Done a lot of work over the years and the key is to quickly identify what’s working for me on the day, it’s been the major change over the last few years. The new ball might be a little different at night, its not the easiest of wickets if you bowl good lengths, just try and take advantage of the bad balls. The key thing is to not go chasing for boundaries,” said Nortje as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Samad was the top run-getter with 28 runs off 21 deliveries in an innings comprising of two boundaries and a six. Rashid Khan was the second highest run-scorer with just 22 runs, showcasing the dominance of the DC bowlers. Axar Patel was another vital contributor who helped break the backbone of the SRH batting department, dismissing Kane Williamson and Jason Holder.

Williamson’s decision to bat after winning the toss backfires

Williamson had opted to bat after winning the toss, having gone with Warner, Holder and Rashid as the other three overseas players in the lineup, showcasing the positivity shared between him and the Australian. Warner was formerly the captain of the Hyderabad-based franchise and led them to a league triumph as well. Pant has gone with a bowling heavy buildup in the overseas department with Nortje, Rabada, Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmyer the four players selected.

“We were thinking of bowling first”

The wicketkeeper-batsman confirmed the presence of Ravichandran Ashwin in the lineup when asked during the toss. Ashwin did not get a chance to showcase his capabilities in the recently concluded Test series in England.

“We were thinking of bowling first. Were gonna chase anyway. We are looking to focus on the process and take one match at a time. Overseas players are Nortje, Rabada, Stoinis and Hetmyer. Ash is playing as well,” said Pant as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Williamson termed the surface as being a good one, emphasising on the importance of getting runs on the board.

“We will bat. Looks a good surface, important for us to assess conditions first up and get some runs on the board. It’s a chance to regroup and want to put up a much better performance. Holder, Rashid, Warner and myself are the four foreign players,” stated the New Zealand-based cricketer.