Delhi Capitals skipper David Warner acknowledged that Gujarat Titans were able to adapt to situations after suffering a six-wicket loss at their home ground of Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Tuesday. DC could only manage 162 runs on the board after Hardik Pandya won the toss and decided to bowl first.
It was an uncharacteristic Kotla pitch as there was grass on the surface and the GT seamers made the most of the conditions. None of the DC batters could get going on the difficult pitch, which also had a low bounce on one end.
In fact, none of the home batters could go past the 40-run mark as they failed to achieve any kind of momentum in their innings. Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan, who was introduced late in the innings, scalped three wickets each whereas Alzarri Joseph took two wickets.
Shami dismissed Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh in his opening spell while Joseph dismissed David Warner and Rilee Rossouw on consecutive deliveries to put his team on top.
On the other hand, Gujarat Titans rookie batter Sai Sudharsan scored an unbeaten knock of 62 runs off 48 balls and helped his team chase down the target with 11 balls to spare. Vijay Shankar scored 29 whereas David Miller added the finishing touches with 16-ball 31.
David Warner said in the post-match presentation, “Don’t think I was surprised (early movement for GT seamers). It did swing a lot more than anticipated. And from the other end it kept a little low. They showed how to adapt to situations. Got another 6 games here. Have to be on point and expect that swing in the first few overs. We were in the game till the back end. Sai batted well. Miller does what he does. With the dew also, it’ll be challenging if you don’t get 180-190. Was because of the wicket (Axar not bowling) – and the matchups.”
DC hasn’t got off to a good start in the season as this was their second loss in as many matches. The David Warner-led will look to register their maiden win of the season in their next match against Rajasthan Royals at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Saturday.
