Rishabh Pant made two glaring errors as captain during the Delhi Capitals vs Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2024 match in Vizag on Wednesday. He didn’t use the DRS against Sunil Narine and Shreyas Iyer when both of them had nicked the ball. Iyer’s one cost them 14 runs but Narine’s was the deciding factor. The KKR all-rounder was on 24 when Ishant Sharma got one to go with the angle in the fourth over of the match and got a nick to Pant. There was a stifled appeal, especially from Mitchell Marsh but Pant didn’t seem convinced. By the time he wanted to signal for DRS, the time was up. Or was it?
Apparently, it seemed like it was Pant whose hesitation had cost DC Narine’s wicket. But as per the timer shown on screen by the broadcasters, there was still one second to go when Pant signalled for DRS. Was it an umpiring error? It can so happen that the official time kept by the umpires may differ from the one shown on screen to the viewers but in most cases, they are the same as it is also flashed on the big screen.
But the DC vs KKR match was a bit different. Pant himself admitted that there was an error in the big screen regarding the DRS timer. “It was quite loud (the venue) and I couldn’t see the timer on the screen and there was some issue with the screen as well, there are some things you can control and some you cannot control, you just need to go with the flow,” Pant said after the match.
Whatever the reason, not being able to dismiss Narine early proved to be fatal for DC. The left-hander went on to smash a breathtaking 85 off just 39 balls laced with 7 fours and 7 sixes. It was his highest score in T20s.
Narine’s outstanding display of strokes and young Angrish Raghuvanshi’s maiden IPL fifty took KKR to a mammoth 272/7 – their highest-ever score and the second-highest all-time total of the tournament, only five behind SRH’s 277/3 against MI a few days ago.
While speaking at the post-match presentation, Narine said he was pleased to contribute with the bat. However, the 35-year-old added that he enjoys his bowling.
When asked about opening with Philip Salt for KKR, he added that the English batter takes the pressure off from his partner.
“Cricket is all about batting, so to contribute with the bat is pleasing but I also enjoy my bowling. (On batting down the order with Abu Dhabi Knight Riders) We had sufficient batters, so the opening was not needed then. At the end of the day, it is about what the team requires. Batting with Salt is good, he takes the pressure off me so it’s good to bat with him. On a good wicket like that, we bowled well and were on the money, so a total team effort from us tonight,” Narine said.
Summarizing the match, KKR’s target of 273 turned out to be too much for DC as they gave in to pressure and ended up suffering a 106-run defeat.
[ad_2]