IPL 2020 | Knew that if Shikhar stays till the end we will win, insists Shreyas Iyer
Shikhar Dhawan scored his maiden hundred against CSK
|Shreyas Iyer has insisted that even though the match went to the last over, he knew that if Shikhar Dhawan, who scored his maiden IPL hundred, stays till the end - they will win. He praised Axar Patel’s incredible cameo at the end and termed him as the ‘unsung hero’ of the team.
Chasing the score of 180, Delhi got off to a terrible start as they lost the wickets of Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane early in the innings, scoring just 41 runs for 2 wickets in the powerplay. However, Shikhar Dhawan was in a different mood today as he smashed the bowlers all around the park to bring up his maiden IPL century and won the game for his team.
He was unbeaten on 101 off 58 balls. Importantly, he was there till the last over, where 17 runs were required after excellent 4-run penultimate over by Sam Curran. In came, Axar Patel and hit three sixes off Ravindra Jadeja and got Delhi over the rope.
Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer insisted that despite the last over scare, he was confident that Dhawan will win them the match. He went on to praise Axar for his 5-ball 21 and termed him as the ‘unsung hero’ of the team.
“I was very nervous, didn't know what to say because it was getting to the last over. I knew that if Shikhar stays till the end, we will win. But the way Axar struck the ball was amazing to see. Whenever we give the Man of the Match awards in our dressing room, he is always there. He is an unsung hero. His preparation is always on point and he knows what he is doing,” Iyer said in the post-match presentation.
Iyer added that the Delhi team has been in a good bond from the start and they enjoy each other’s performances.
“We've been gelling well as a team from the first day of our camp. We know the strengths and weaknesses of each other. We've embraced each other's successes and failures in the same way. I just told one of the teammates today that today the way he batted, it was really mesmerizing to see. Also gives me some breathing space as captain,” he added.
