Prithvi Shaw declares Rishabh Pant as Best Finisher: DC opening batsman was vocal about their wicket-keeper batsman and win against SRH.
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The pinnacle of Delhi Capitals’ 2-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2019 Eliminator was their opening batsman Prithvi Shaw finding form. In what was his second half-century of the season, Shaw finally repaid the faith shown in him by the team management.
Other than his two half-centuries, Shaw has counted for 193 runs in 13 matches at a paltry average of 14.84. DC persisting with him despite his lean patch made the 19-year old cricketer thank the support staff for believing in him.
“I’ve prepared quite a lot because I wasn’t scoring that well in the Powerplay and the team wasn’t really happy. But they [team management] never gave up on me. They believed in me and I believed in myself.
“Thanks to all the support staff, Sourav [Ganguly] sir, Ricky [Ponting] sir, Pravin [Amre] sir, [Mohammed] Kaif sir and the players as well. They’re the ones who have given me a lot of positive vibes, and believing in myself was the biggest thing,” Shaw was quoted as saying during the post-match press conference.
Shaw hints at having fun in T20s
The Eliminator last night was another such occasion when Capitals’ batsmen made a mess of what should have been an easy chase. Having lost three wickets in the last two crucial overs, DC did give an advantage to Hyderabad. Having said that, it was Keemo Paul who eventually hit a boundary off Khaleel Ahmed to win the match for his team.
Being asked about the same, Shaw unveiled the franchise’s natural liking towards making games interesting. Admitting that there was pressure in the dugout, Shaw funnily described it under “fun in T20s”.
“I think we have an affinity for making games interesting every time. Things seem to go well and suddenly two-three wickets fall. That is the fun in T20s. As long the situation is not interesting, you don’t have fun. You don’t feel that pressure. I suppose you guys might have felt the pressure as well – who will win? Who will come for the press conference? The same thing happens in the dugout,” Shaw added.
Prithvi Shaw declares Rishabh Pant as Best Finisher
Shaw was wax lyrical about wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant who won the ‘Man of the Match‘ award for his game-changing 49 (21) with the help of two fours and five sixes. Declaring the southpaw as the best finisher among the younger lot, Shaw didn’t intent to suggest a change in approach to Pant.
“[Rishabh] Pant did a really good job. I’ve always said that he is the best finisher in the younger players. He opened the game [for us]. Unfortunately, he got out. He was upset with himself.
“I’m not going to curb the way he plays, I’m not gonna tell him to slow down because if he plays his best he will win games for us. I want him to go out with pure freedom and with no other thought other than hitting the ball for a six,” Shaw mentioned.
Delhi will now face defending champions Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 2 tomorrow. Having lost both their league matches against CSK, DC will have to put on display a much-improved performance in a bid to play IPL 2019 final on Sunday.
