The biggest concern for Delhi Capitals has been the form of opening batter Prithvi Shaw.© AFP
With one win in six outings, Delhi Capitals (DC) have had a torrid start to their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign. The biggest concern for DC has been the form of opening batter Prithvi Shaw, who has failed to get starts so far. In six matches, Shaw has conjured just 43 runs, which is highly below-par for a player of his calibre. Speaking on his struggles, former England captain Michael Vaughan feels that Shaw needs to score runs as he can’t just play on reputation.
“Early in the tournament, Mark Wood bowled him. His feet went nowhere. He was waiting for the short one but it was pitched up and he was nowhere near the line of the ball. I think Prithvi needs runs. He can’t just keep going on reputation, can’t just keep harping about what you’ve done in the past, you have to produce runs here and there. He has had a poor start. I don’t he has gone beyond the powerplay,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.
After five defeats on the trot, DC managed to sneak out a win against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday.
Captain David Warner hit a fluent 57, while veteran pacer Ishant Sharma, playing his first IPL match since 2021, returned figures of 2-19 to lead DC’s charge.
Ishant stood out with key wickets of Rana and Sunil Narine before being substituted under the new impact player rule.
Others joined in as pace bowler Anrich Nortje, spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each to bundle out the opposition for 127 on the final ball of the innings.
Chasing a target of 128, DC made tough work of their modest chase and despite Warner’s fourth half-century of the season achieved their target with four balls to spare in a rain-delayed match that went past midnight.
(With AFP Inputs)
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