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The world knows David Warner as a Twenty20 specialist. But the failure to record a ton in a format most suitable to his style of play made his CV somewhat incomplete. At the Ferozeshah Kotla on Monday,Warner set the record straight with an unbeaten 107 (69 balls, 9×4,5×6) that helped Delhi Daredevils record a convincing 40-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
The game that saw Delhi return to top four had thrills and spills in equal measure. Along with Warners blazing knock,there was Amit Mishras dream spell of 4-0-18-1 and an acrobatic hopping in and out of the field catch by David Hussey on the fence. For Virender Sehwag it was a forgettable outing as his batting failure was followed by him dropping a sitter at square-leg.
Meanwhile,Ishant Sharmas inconsistent Twenty20 form continued as he went for 17 runs in the only over he bowled.
During his journey to the three-digit mark,Warner made a few important points. After being involved in a vital partnership of 128 runs with Paul Collingwood (53),the opener remained unbeaten to see Delhi reach 177. He didnt just build the plinth but was also involved in the construction of the high-rise that they eventually ended up with.
In an action-packed start,Gayle had Sehwag stumped after the opener had hit consecutive boundaries in the first over,while Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Kartik followed soon after to leave Delhi struggling at 38/3.
Warner negotiated Gayles off-spin well though,and never let the scoring rate dip despite the fall of three quick wickets at the other end.
For company,Warner had the experienced Paul Collingwood,who replaced AB de Villiers in the line-up,and the two joined forces to avert what was turning into a mini-crisis.
There was just one blip in Warners knock. The left-hander played an on-drive into the hands of Murali Karthik,who seemed to have taken a low catch. As the next batsman Kedar Jadhav walked in,Warner stood near the boundary rope waiting for the third umpires verdict. With Warner at 96 at this stage,it seemed that the Aussie had once again missed his ton. After several replays,the third umpire ruled in Warners favour and the Aussie returned to reach the milestone.
Kolkatas chase started off on a disastrous note with Delhi skipper Gautam Gambhir juggling his bowlers well. With five Kolkata wickets going to different bowlers,it was evident that Delhi were hunting as a team.
Later in the innings,when opening bowler Dirk Nannes left the field with a bleeding left finger,Collingwood took over and scalped one wicket in a tidy five-ball spell.
Despite being dropped by Sehwag once,Gayle was the top-scorer with 30. With none of their batsmen staying on the crease for long enough,Kolkatas revival their win in the last game came after a string of three losses was short-lived.