NEW DELHI: Experienced pacer
Ishant Sharma defended 12 runs off the last over to hand
Delhi Capitals a
five-run win over defending champions Gujarat Giants in the IPL 2023 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After guiding his team win to win, Ishant said practising wide yorkers paid off.
The narrow five-run win on Tuesday kept Delhi alive in the tournament. They now have three victories from nine games and need to win their remaining five matches to make the play-offs.
Ishant, who was not used in the initial part of the tournament, is now Delhi’s most economical bowler and has taken six wickets in four games conceding only 6.5 runs per over.
The 105 Test veteran was able to keep the dangerous Rahul Tewatia quiet in the 20th over with GT skipper Hardik Pandya remaining unbeaten at the other end in a losing cause.
“We practice bowling with the new ball, but at the same time we do practice bowling wide yorkers, and today the hardwork paid off, I just backed myself and bowled wide yorkers.
GT vs DC IPL 2023 Highlights: Delhi keep playoff hopes alive with 5-run win over Gujarat
“When you are preparing yourself in the nets we plan for certain batters as to what to bowl and it is all about executing it every single time, back yourself and believing in yourself,” Ishant said after the game.
1/14
IPL 2023: Delhi Capitals trump Gujarat Titans in low-scoring match
Show Captions
<p>Aman Khan’s defiant 51 and inspired bowling helped Delhi Capitals edge out holders Gujarat Titans by five runs in a low-scoring thriller on Tuesday. </p>
<p>Aman hit his maiden fifty to lift his team from 23/5 to 130/8 in a clash between bottom-placed Delhi and table-toppers Gujarat in Ahmedabad. </p>
<p>It was Aman’s 44-ball knock that made Delhi fightback as he put on key partnerships with Axar Patel (24) and Ripal Patel (23). </p>
<p>Aman smashed three fours and three sixes in his 44-ball knock before falling to Rashid Khan. </p>
<p>Gujarat pace spearhead Mohammed Shami’s bowling figures of 4/11 — his IPL best — went in vain but was named man of the match. </p>
<p>Shami got Phil Salt for a first ball duck and then Rilee Rossouw, for eight, in his two overs before a double strike in his third. </p>
<p>Khaleel Ahmed and Ishant Sharma limited Gujarat to 125/6 despite an unbeaten 59 by skipper Hardik Pandya and Rahul Tewatia’s seven-ball 20. </p>
<p>Tewatia smashed Anrich Nortje for three straight hits over the fence in the 19th over but fell in the 20th. </p>
<p>Ishant returned figures of 2/23 and held his nerve in the final over with Gujarat needing 12 to win and falling short. </p>
<p>Khaleel struck in the first over and soon Gujarat were in deep trouble when South African big-hitter David Miller fell for a duck. AP </p>
<p>Pandya put up a 62-run stand with Abhinav Manohar (26), but the effort was not enough as Delhi defended their lowest total ever. </p>
<p>Gujarat remain strong to make the play-offs with six wins in nine matches. </p>
<p>Delhi registered their third win in nine matches to keep their play-off hopes alive. </p>
Asked about his mindset while bowling to Tewatia, who had smashed three sixes off Anrich Nortje in the previous over, Ishant said: “I played enough cricket with him (Tewatia), so was just having fun with him. I knew I had to double bluff him otherwise we know what he can do with the bat.
“We (bowlers) don’t think about the target, it is just about executing the plans. From hereon we hope to carry the momentum, keep going forward and hope for the best,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
