Steve Smith: “(On the gameplan for today) I think to bounce back from the defeat against KKR. We are seeing a lot of low-scoring games. The wicket’s pretty tired and it’s difficult to get boundaries. You have to adapt to the conditions and bat smartly. It’s certainly different from what we played here last year. It’s just about adapting and playing to the best of your ability. I am not sure if I am playing yet. I think Prithvi is back. Hopefully, we can have a good day.”
Hardik Pandya: “Runs are important and especially when your team wins. It was important for my personal confidence but to score for the team was important. (On the first game in Sharjah) We have to assess the wicket and adapt on the given time. The plans have to be simple and win over obstacles ball by ball. (Must-win) There’s no option, but one thing is that these situations bring out the best in you. We realize it is a do-or-die game, but we are just focusing on the controllable. (On bowling) Aayega jaldi. Koshish poori hai I will bowl soon. Efforts are on.”
Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians Highlights today, Saturday 2-10-2021 – 46th Match, Indian Premier League season 14th from Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
DC win the toss and chose to bowl first.
IPL 2021 Points Table
Delhi Capitals team: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Ravichandran Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Anrich Nortje.
Mumbai Indians team: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Saurabh Tiwary, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Jayant Yadav, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Trent Boult.
Match Timings: 10:00 GMT | 14:00 Local
Umpires – Anil Chaudhary, Michael Gough
TV Umpires – Nitin Menon
Match Referee – Javagal Srinath
Reserve Umpire – Navdeep Singh
Match number – Indian Premier League 2021 Match No 46th
Rohit Sharma speaks:
“We knew it will be a difficult venue. We watched a lot of matches, and it’s not the easiest venues to play and make a lot of runs. We were well prepared and we knew what we had to do. I thought we didn’t bat well enough. We knew it wasn’t a 170-180 wicket, but we knew it was a 140 wicket.
We just didn’t get the partnerships going. If your batters aren’t going to post runs on the board, it will be difficult to win games. I personally accept that. We’re not able to execute in the middle, which is particularly disappointing. We are not playing to our potential. Hopefully, in the next two games, we play the way we are known for.”
Shreyas Iyer:
“I felt really amazing to bat through and take my team through. It was a low-scoring game. I backed myself and my instincts. I knew I would win the game for the team. (On Ashwin’s role) He came in and was really positive. He wanted to take singles, and that went to the last two overs. He decided he would take the bowlers on during the last two overs. The transition in the last two years has happened.
Since 2019, we have shifted that towards our team. We try to implement that within the dressing room. We try to be humble, and we try to ensure whoever’s day it is, he makes sure the team wins the game. (On the first championship and how they can get there) Once we are in these close games, we have to finish them. Every two points matter. If we finish in the top two, we have that opportunity to play that one game and make the final.”
Post match presentation
Rishabh Pant:
“In Sharjah, the wicket always plays differently. Yes, it’s a hard-fought victory. We were planning to bowl mostly the fast bowlers in the powerplay. Easier for the spinner in these tracks. I held back one over of Ashwin to keep him away from Pollard and Hardik. Avesh is the find of the season for us, but at Delhi Capitals, we learn from our mistakes and pick up. We have to solidify our batting. Stoinis should be fine in a few days, and that will be good for us. You can’t always go for it, but someone has to be aggressive in the powerplay.”
Axar Patel is the player of the match. Says:
“I am able to read the batter more easily and can plan better. If I can think about what the batter is doing and deny them the ideal ball, I can be more successful. (On de Kock’s wicket) I thought he would go for the slog sweep or through the cover. That’s why I hung it out there for him to hit. I think there’s no need to experiment when some of the simple things are working better.”
