Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer was full of praise for his bowlers, as his team maintained their winning streak in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, beating Rajasthan Royals by 46 runs in Sharjah on Friday. Defending 184-run target on a batting-friendly wicket, Delhi bowlers led by pace ace Kagiso Rabada bowled out Rajasthan for 138 in 19.4 overs. Iyer hailed the bowling attack for executing their plans well and rising up to the occasion.
Speaking at the post-match conference, DC skipper Iyer said he thought his team had put up a below-par total against Royals but the Sharjah wicket, known for producing bagful of runs, was on the slower side and that worked in their favour. Delhi posted the season’s lowest first innings total at this ground, making 184 for eight after being put in to bat.
“I’m really happy with the way we came out in the second innings. We thought it was an under-par score but it was stopping on the wicket and the bowlers executed their plans really well,” said the 25-year-old.
“We were also going to bowl first with the dew factor, but thankfully it went in our favour.”
Delhi are sitting pretty at the top of the points table with five wins in six games. Talking about the campaign so far, Iyer said: “I am enjoying captaincy because the players make it really easy, especially the bowlers. Even the way the support staff is managing the team meetings is commendable. I think the mixture in our team is really good and we have worked really hard on this.
“The boys have shared their thoughts pre-tour and their strengths and weaknesses. I am happy with how we are progressing and hoping to maintain the momentum.”
Royals skipper Steven Smith too said that the wicket behaved differently from the two games they played here and won.
“We are not playing good enough over the 40 overs, and not executing when the pressure is coming on and you can’t win many games that way,” Smith said after Royals suffered their fourth successive loss in the competition.
“The bowlers did a good job, and I don’t think the wicket was as good as it has been here, a bit stoppy tonight, and we gave away 10-15 extra runs.
On their star player Ben Stokes, who is currently undergoing a six-day quarantine, Smith said: “Stokes hasn’t had a lot of practice, he gets out of quarantine tomorrow, so we’ll see if he plays the day after tomorrow.
