KL Rahul smacked 93 off 53 deliveries against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday. Chasing 164 runs Delhi Capitals did look in a bit of a pickle after the first powerplay losing three wickets. However, Rahul as would do many times for India in the big stage would shepherd the chase and will take the Capitals to victory on his home ground.
“This is my ground, this is my home. I know this better than anybody else. So, yeah, I enjoyed playing here,” Rahul said after the game on IPL T20.com. “It was a slightly tricky wicket, but I think what helped me is being behind the stumps for 20 overs, watching how the wicket played. From wicketkeeping, I figured out the ball sat in a little bit, but it was consistent throughout. It wasn’t two-paced,” Rahul added.
Earlier, the wizardry of Kuldeep and Nigam helped the Capitals stage a stirring comeback to restrict RCB to a below-par 163 for seven.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep (2/17) and leg-spinner Nigam (2/18) adjusted their lengths beautifully to halt RCB after the Capitals chose to bowl first. But Delhi’s decision to field looked utterly obtuse as Royal Challengers went off the blocks like a galloping horse, going past the 50-run mark in just three overs.
Central to that charge was opener Phil Salt’s turbo-charged innings of 37 off 17 balls. The England batter hammered Mitchell Starc for a sequence of 6, 4, 4, 4, 6 to collect 24 runs in the third over. However, Salt got run out in a yes-no situation involving Virat Kohli (22, 14b). Kohli and Salt added 61 runs off 24 balls for the opening stand.
But the introduction of Nigam proved a course-altering point.
The Capitals are four games into their campaign and have yet to lose a game. With the bat, Rahul has been consistently delivering the goods, and with the ball, it has been a collective effort from the side.
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