Published: Oct 04, 2020, 09:57 AM (IST)
Edited: Oct 04, 2020, 09:57 AM (IST)
Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front as he played a captain’s knock — 88 not out off 38 balls — to guide his team to a thrilling 18-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders in match no. 16 of Indian Premier League on Saturday night. Iyer has attributed all those big sixes against Kolkata Knight Riders to the enormous ‘hard and smart work’ that he had put in the gym sessions as he doesn’t consider himself a – gifted player.
Iyer’s knock of 88 was studded with six sixes and seven fours which came at an astonishing strike-rate of 231.58. “I know the hard work and the smart work I have put in through my gym sessions, so I wouldn’t say I am a very gifted player,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“It was really necessary for me to take time at the start which I did in the earlier games as well. It was the right time for me to take on the bowlers and then rotate strike as well after that. Luckily it worked out for me. We keep talking about close victories and this was one of them. Really satisfied with the way everyone stepped up,” Iyer said.
The 25-year-old Iyer was adjudged the Man of the Match, and the win lifted DC to the top of the points table. DC now have six points from four matches while KKR are placed sixth with four points from four games.
Losing captain Dinesh Karthik rued missing out on a couple of sixes in the middle overs that probably cost them the match according to him.
“Maybe in between 10-13 overs we didn’t get many boundaries, we lost a couple of wickets as well which sets you back in such run chases. To be honest, couple more sixes and we would have crossed the line,” Karthik said.
