In spite of having some big names, Delhi Daredevils have never quite made the kind of impression they have been expected to over the years. This season as well, their campaign got off to a poor start with the shoddy loss against Royal Challengers Bangalore, in which they dropped some key catches. However, in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders, they managed to come up with an impressive performance to end a losing streak which extends back to last season. The victory, which was achieved in the absence of injured skipper Kevin Pietersen for a second game in a row, would have pleased Delhi no end.
The win was achieved courtesy a meticulous chase, the partnership between stand-in skipper Dinesh Karthik and JP Duminy proving most crucial. Over the years, Karthik has disappointed more than he has impressed in spite of his obvious talent. But, in the match against KKR, he held the innings together after the early loss of wickets in a challenging chase. Delhi would be hoping that he carries on the good form. The problem with Karthik is that he doesn’t utilise himself completely. Last year, for Mumbai as well, he began the season with a bang, but petered away as the tournament progressed.
Speaking of Duminy, the southpaw from South Africa will have a key role to play if Delhi have to do well in the event. He has the perfect T20 skills with the bat wherein he can rotate strike swiftly with good running between the wickets and is also able to find the boundaries when the situation demands. This multi-faceted dimension of his gave was on display in the match against KKR, wherein he ensured that Delhi got home in spite of the pressure of a challenging total.
Although it is still very early in the event, the form of Murali Vijay and Mayank Agarwal would become a cause of concern if they continue to falter at the top of the order. The openers’ success is instrumental in a team’s fortune in T20 cricket. As for their bowling against KKR, it was a mixed bag. They were very good in the first half, with Mohammed Shami, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jaydev Unadkat keeping KKR on the back foot. But, the spinners couldn’t make any kind of impact, which allowed Kolkata to recover towards the end of the innings.
Kolkata’s loss had a lot to do with the failure of their openers. When a side loses players of the calibre of Jacques Kallis and Gautam Gambhir within the first 10 balls of their innings, it becomes extremely difficult for them to recover. Manish Pandey, Robin Uthappa and Shakib Al Hasan batted smartly to help Kolkata recover to a challenging total. But, it did not prove to be a match winning total in the end. They could have pulled off a victory if Sunil Narine had spun his magic, but Duminy and Karthik did well to keep him at bay.
--By A Cricket Analyst
