Mitchell Marsh, whose 62-ball 89 helped Delhi Capitals beat Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday, insists conditions were unusually challenging in the first six overs
DC’s Mitchell Marsh lofts one during his 89 v RR on Wednesday. Pic/BCCI, PTI
Mitchell Marsh produced stellar stuff both, with bat and ball, to steal the individual honours and pilot Delhi Capitals to a crucial and resounding eight-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday that kept his team’s IPL play-off hopes alive.
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Good, all-round show
Marsh first helped apply the brakes on the Royals by picking up the wickets of opener Yashaswi Jaiswal and Ravichandran Ashwin for just 25 runs. The tall Australian then came up with a rousing innings of 89 in 62 balls, adorned with seven sixes and five fours, and also put on a century partnership with compatriot David Warner (52 not out) to help Delhi overhaul RR’s modest total of 160 for 6 with 11 balls to spare. The victory enabled Delhi to boost their points tally to 12 with two matches in hand while Royals remain in third spot with 14 points and two games to play.
Marsh, 30, later told reporters that the track was among the trickiest he had encountered in his T20 career during the Powerplay and the plan was not to lose more than one wicket during this phase.
“If you look at both teams in the Powerplay tonight, the ball was swinging around, it was nipping around. It was probably one of the tougher Powerplays that I’ve batted in since I started playing T20 cricket. We just had to get through it unscathed. “If you’re two-three down in the Powerplay, the game gets really hard, so we assessed that we have to cut down on our runs to ensure we’re just one down at the end of the power play,” said Marsh.
“They bowled exceptionally well in the Powerplay and made it really tough, but I think chasing 160, you’re only one big partnership away. That was our main focus,” the seasoned Aussie player elaborated.
Meanwhile, RR’s senior pro Ashwin, who made 50 in 38 balls, felt his team was 15-20 runs short of par score on a ‘tacky’ track.
Missed opportunities
“The wicket was a bit tacky. If we had a bit of luck, taken the catches, the game would have taken a different course. At the back end of the tournament there is always pressure. Hopefully, we can turn it on and string a couple of wins together,” said the off-spinner, who ended up wicketless, conceding 32 runs.
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