IPL 2019 | I will pounce on loose deliveries from Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir, says Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw has stated that he will pounce on loose deliveries from Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir while referring to the upcoming Qualifier 2 encounter between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings on Friday. DC won the Eliminator match against Sunrisers Hyderabad to proceed to the next game.
Delhi Capitals had lost both their encounters against Chennai Super Kings this season and will be looking revive their poor record against them when they cross swords in the second qualifier at Vizag on May 10. While the spin trio of Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja could only scalp two wickets in total in the first encounter between the two, they wreaked havoc by scalping eight wickets in the next. However, DC opening batsman Prithvi Shaw reckoned that the batting lineup will have a full proof plan to tackle the trio.
"The team will have a plan after reaching (playing against) Chennai. How to face which bowler like Harbhajan bhai, Jaddu sir or Tahir sir. We will have to plan. We will look to do what we've done earlier." he said at the post-match press conference, reported PTI.
"Personally, whichever ball is lose, I will smash that ball. Even with Harbhajan bhai and Tahir sir bowling, I will obviously smash it," he added.
DC had chased down Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 162 by a whisker to sculpt a spot in the second qualifier. Shaw scored 56 off 38 deliveries, whereas Pant blasted 49 runs in just 21 balls. However, both of them were dismissed before finishing things up but DC eventually trumped SRH in a nail biting encounter despite losing eight wickets. Shaw was all praise for Pant and Keemo Paul, who hit the winning boundary.
"In these T20 games, there's a lot of pressure. I was praying that we win. Pant did a brilliant job. I have said that he is the best finisher among the young players. He always opens up the game for us. He has been doing very well. Unfortunately, he could not finish it for us, but Keemo did well in the end," he said.
Shaw had already scored 39 runs off 24 balls within the powerplay overs itself, taking DC to 55 runs. He was eventually dismissed by Khaleel Ahmed’s slower delivery where he handed a catch to Vijay Shankar at point. The 2018 U-19 World Cup winning captain felt it was necessary to score briskly in the powerplay.
"First six overs are important because if you put runs on board, it will take the pressure off the other batsmen. It was a bit difficult to pull the ball. Since their bowlers were bowling cutters on a sticky wicket, it was not pulling. I waited and waited for the loose balls," he explained.
The young opener targeted the pacers while playing out the deliveries of Afghan spinners Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan, as pointed out by him.
"While you're playing in the middle it is simple - just play your game and chose bowlers that we want to hit first and obviously Nabi and Rashid were the best bowlers on their side. It was an interesting game and I'm happy that we won," expressed the 19-year-old.
Even in Wednesday’s game, the Delhi-based franchise lost wickets in clusters at crucial junctures. They lost three wickets between the eight and 11th over, followed by two in the 15th over and lastly, three in the last two overs. Shaw did not fail to acknowledge the fact that they have a tendency to throw away wickets at key moments.
"I think we like to make every game interesting. Every time things are going well, we give away two-three wickets. But I think that's the charm of T20 cricket. Till the time you don't feel the pressure, it’s not as much fun,” he signed off.
