NZ’s Anderson stays till end to see DD successfully chase 186-run target and stay alive in competition
Delhi Daredevils' stand-in skipper Karun Nair knew for sure that this could well be his last chance to stay alive in the ongoing IPL as he asked Sunrisers Hyderabad to set a target here on Tuesday.
And, he also ensured that his contribution also makes a difference while successfully chasing a huge target of 186 with six wickets in hand. His 20-ball 39, the highest in this IPL season, was instrumental in helping hosts chase down total with five balls to spare. His cause was also helped by the fact that all his top six batsman contributed to the team's win.
When New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson (41*) smashed one outside the off-stump of Henriques for a four, the entire DD dug out erupted in joy that could only be judged by a unit that has tasted a win after five losses in a row.
Anderson was well supported at the other end by Chris Morris, who remained unbeaten on a seven-ball 15.
Daredevils may have managed to survive for now but their bowling has certainly been a big worry in the absence of their regular skipper Zaheer Khan.
Earlier, David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan showed some fireworks to start with after Sunrisers were sent in to bat. At one stage, when Warner (30) was going all guns blazing and Daredevils reached 31-ball 50, Karnataka-lad Nair must have been regretting his decision to field first.
But it was India's most consistent speedster Mohammed Shami, also man-of-the-match, who made all the difference with two crucial blows, removing Warner and Kane Williamson. Warner's wicket, in particular, was a treat to watch as he was completely deceived by Shami's yorker.
And in between, it was another experienced leggie Amit Mishra, who managed to get rid of Dhawan (28). Mishra along with his spin mate Jayant Yadav managed to check flow of runs in the middle overs.
This brought Yuvraj Singh and Moises Henriques to the crease with a big task of reaching a decent total.
Yuvraj, though was dropped by Sanju Samson at 29, looked in good nick after a long time.
After this, the Punjab lad never looked back and reached his fifty with an authoritative pull shot off Morris in the 19th over. Henriques (25) kept rotating strike for his firing partner. The two shifted the momentum in Sunrisers' side as 93 runs were scored in just 50 balls.
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