Delhi Capitals captain David Warner has defended his decision not to give Indian all-rounder Axar Patel. His side got a six-wicket loss to the Gujarat Titans on Tuesday. DC hit 162/8 first as the Titans’ pacesetters put on an excellent performance at Arun Jaitley Stadium with conditions favorable to them.
GTs Mohammed Shami (41/3) and Alzarri Joseph (29/2) took advantage of the swing conditions to put Delhi on the defensive with excellent bowling. It was Axar Patel’s quick 36-from-22 performance that helped set a respectable Total.
In response, GT hit 11 balls on target as Sai Sudharsan hit 62-48 and David Miller beat 31-16. The two left-handers went on an unbeaten 56-run, 29-ball partnership to guide defending champions GT to their second straight win. On the other side, Delhi suffered many consecutive losses. Read Also: Fans made regional commentaries hit for this IPL season
AD Skipper Warner stated after the game that he could not use Axar in bowling due to the clashes as two left-handers batted for Gujarat. “It was the wicket (Axar doesn’t bowl)
Discussing swing conditions, Warner commended the traveling Gujarat bowlers for adapting better to the situation than the DC bowlers. “It swung more than I expected. Losing wickets on the power play can be a struggle. They showed us how to adapt to the situation and it was a learning experience for us. I have 6 games left here.” Warner added. “I have to be on point and wait for that momentum in the first overs. We were in the game until the end. Sai scored well. Miller does what he does. Even with the dew condition, it becomes a challenge if you don’t get 180-190.”
Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya has acclaimed his teammate Sai Sudharsan. Adding that he realizes the youngster doing “great things” in franchise cricket going forward. Sai Sudharsan struck terribly. Credit to the support staff and him too. The number of shots he’s made in the last 15 days. Every result you see is all his hard work. “From now on, if I’m not mistaken, in two years he will do something great for the cricket franchise and eventually for India,” said Hardik.
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