Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif reckons Delhi Capitals were lucky to share a point with Sunrisers Hyderabad after rain played spoilsport at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Monday. After being put into bat, DC was restricted to 133-7 as the batting unit failed to get going.
Pat Cummins was right on the money from the get go, dismissing the opposition’s top three batters – Karun Nair, Faf du Plessis and Abishek Porel. Furthermore, KL Rahul and Axar Patel were also dismissed cheaply as DC found themselves reeling at 29-5 after 7.1 overs.
But after the end of the first innings, persistent rain didn’t allow any more play and both teams had to settle for a point each.
“They will be thankful they got one point because they hadn’t scored too many runs. Hyderabad were ahead in this match. Getting one point means you are still alive. You can come in the top four if you win continuous matches, but the upcoming matches are difficult. They have matches against good teams,” Mohammad Kaif said on Star Sports.
Impact player Ashutosh Sharma scored a crucial knock of 41 runs off 26 balls but Kaif noted that DC’s batting has struggled in the last couple of games.
“However, they have gotten a chance to come back again. They were 62/6. Then Ashutosh Sharma saved their honor a little. Otherwise, the batting flopped, if we talk about this match, and this has not happened for the first time. Their form has dropped in the last few matches. They started well, but their form has dropped slightly in the business end,” he observed.
The Natwest trophy final hero said DC’s bowling is also not in form in the last few games, which is a concern for the franchise.
“Their bowling is also not in form now. If we look at the previous match, KKR scored 200 runs against them, and they lost that match. So they are conceding 200 runs, and they are losing batting form too. KL Rahul had started well. Karun Nair scored close to 90 in the first match he played. He hasn’t scored runs after that. Faf du Plessis has looked in little form,” he said.
Kaif added that veteran batters like Faf du Plessis and KL Rahul would need to take more onus on their shoulders.
“I feel the senior players, KL Rahul and Faf, will have to take charge because they have played earlier in this phase. They have been captains of their franchises. They have experience. Faf needs to play well. They made a mistake in not opening with Abishek Porel in this match. Abishek Porel hadn’t given bad starts,” Kaif elaborated.
Delhi Capitals will next take on Punjab Kings at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala on Thursday.
