Delhi Capitals veteran opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan got off to a magnificent start in the team’s maiden match of the season against Chennai Super Kings. Delhi had to chase down 189 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai with seven wickets in hand on Saturday. DC got off to a fine start as Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw scored 138 runs for the opening alliance.
Dhawan timed the ball to perfection as he and Shaw added 65 runs in the powerplay overs to give a rollicking start to their team. The southpaw generally takes a few deliveries to get settle but revealed a different avatar on Saturday as he was able to hit the ground running.
In fact, both Dhawan and Shaw took the attack to the opposition from ball one and none of them were playing the anchor’s role. The right and left-hand batting combination didn’t let the CSK bowlers settle down and DC was always in the drivers’ seat in the run-chase.
Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan had also scored a fine knock of 98 and 67 in the first and third ODI against England in the recently concluded series. Dhawan had scored a total of 169 runs in the three-match series and stated that he will aim to continue his current good form in the IPL.
Dhawan said while speaking to the media, “I’m happy that I performed well and contributed towards the team’s victory. Starting well in the tournament is always a great deal for a batsman or a player. I will look to continue my form in the upcoming games.”
Dhawan added that it was a collective team effort, which helped them in winning the game.
“Really happy that we won the game. The entire team performed well, not just me. Prithvi batted really well and the bowlers bowled in the right areas. So in all, I’m very happy with our start in the tournament. The goal is to refine and maintain this form while continuing to win games as a team.”
In fact, DC was without the services of some of their key players like Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, who had scalped 30 and 22 wickets respectively in the previous season. However, Chris Woakes and Avesh Khan did a good job in the opening game as both of them bagged a brace.
DC will play their next match against Rajasthan Royals at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 15th April.
