New Delhi: Delhi Capitals’ struggles with the bat at home continued as they faltered on a testing track to end up with a below-par 155 for seven against Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League here Tuesday.
On a pitch offering assistance to the spinners with odd ball holding up, the home team batters failed to apply themselves.
The free fall began with the loss of opener Pathum Nissanka, who failed to clear the mid-on fielder off a slower ball from left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary.
Both Nissanka (19 off 15) and KL Rahul (12 off 13) began with crisp boundaries but did not last long. After Nissanka, Rahul attempted an inside-out hit off left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein but could not get to the pitch of the ball on the charge to be caught by opposition captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
DC laboured to 37 for two in the powerplay with Hosein bowling half of the overs, including one from the other end that produced the wicket of Rahul.
With DC’s innings not gaining any momentum, the crowd, mostly in yellow supporting CSK and M S Dhoni, who did not even travel for the game, built more pressure on the ‘home team’. Chants of CSK, CSK were heard regularly during the innings.
With a batting performance like that, it seemed DC had not overcome the mental demons of 75 all out in their last game here.
After the power play, another spinner Noor Ahmad dominated the opposition, removing Karun Nair and Nitish Rana, who both fell to a poorly executed sweep shot.
DC captain Axar Patel had the ideal opportunity to make an impact with the bat but fell to a soft dismissal, offering a sitter to the cover fielder off a Gurjapneet Singh ball that appeared to stop on him. DC were now reeling at 69 for five in 11 overs.
Tristan Stubbs (38 off 31) and impact player Sameer Rizvi (40 not out off 24) hit a flurry of sixes to take the innings forward in their 65-run stand, but the damage done in the first half of the game could not be reversed as DC ended with an underwhelming total.
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