IPL 2020 | We had a tough day but plenty of positives from game, admits Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal scored 89 runs off 60 balls
|Despite not being able to finish out 1 run from three balls, Mayank Agarwal has admitted that the franchise had a tough day on the field but stated there were plenty of positives to be drawn. He also credited Marcus Stoinisâ batting efforts, which he believes took the game away from their grasp.
After reducing the Delhi Capitals to 96/6, all eyes were on KL Rahul and his captaincy decision on his debut as a skipper. The wicketkeeper-batsman had preserved one of the best death over bowler around the world, Chris Jordan for two overs at the back end of the innings with Marcus Stoinis still at the crease. As it turned out, that move alongside Stoinisâ innings changed the game in Delhiâs favour, as they recovered themselves from shambles to score 157/8, which was more than a par score on the slow and sluggish track.Â
In the second innings, KL Rahul got his side of the perfect start but as fate had it, the middle-order was in complete shambles, requiring a humungous effort from Mayank Agarwal, who scored 89 runs off 60 balls to take the game till the last over. Despite his heroics, rescuing Punjab to an almost unlikely win, the side had to settle for a tie after the opener got out in the 20th over. In overall, the KXIP opener summed up the game as a tough day on the field but plenty of positives.Â
"I think we had a tough day. There are a lot of positives to take out. The way we came back was fantastic, the way we bowled with the new ball was terrific. It really hurts to not close off the game from the situation we were in... feels terrible. This is just the first game... we can get things rolling again, let's see how we will go in the coming games. I think to play a game like that first up was fantastic. Everyone was up for it, guys really put in the effort,â Mayank was quoted as saying by KXIP TV, reported Cricbuzz.
However, rightly the Karnataka man pointed out Stoinisâ whirlwind innings, where he scored a 21-ball 53, that changed the course of the encounter. The Australian was not done, as he came back with the ball to pick up two wickets in the last over to take the game to super over, where the Capitals eventually won.Â
"I thought Stoinis batted extremely well. Even if you made a little mistake, he took us apart. He had a great game. He really did well for them at the death. With us at death, we batted extremely well to reach there," he told ANI, reported TOI.Â
"It is just the first game, kudos to him (Stoinis). He executed his plans well and got them a lot of runs in the death overs. If you had just one bad game, it does not mean anything. We are going to back our bowlers and look forward to the next game," he added.Â
