GUJ's players are in a customary huddle. They will look to whittle away at the opposition ranks up front. Praveen has the new ball in hand. Intriguingly, the swing-merchant until his last game against PUN hadn't taken a single scalp in this T20 League. He has a slip in place
Dinesh Karthik's well-constructed fifty has lifted GUJ's sagging spirits. Can the pair of Pant and Quinton de Kock play with a dash of royal flourish to give the visitors a breezy start? It would be interesting to see their approach, as the pitch is assisting the spinners.
"Very happy. We focussed well to get through the first 6 overs. Obviously they got a useful partnership in the middle overs, but I think 150 is definitely a good score. We bat till seven and we are hopeful of chasing this one. The young players have stepped up, the overseas players have stepped up too. We are led well by Zaheer," says a delighted Duminy.
Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, too, played decent hands. Earlier, the pair of Nadeem and Zaheer Khan bowled with guile and discipline to make vital incisions. If it wasn't for Karthik's calm and collected innings, GUJ could have found themselves in deep trouble. The track is on the slower side and the odd ball is turning off the pitch. It might just turn out to be a tricky chase for DEL.
Dinesh Karthik showcased near-perfect shot selection and decisive footwork to propel GUJ to a handy total. Karthik pitted his skills against the trio of Chris Morris, Zaheer Khan and Amit Mishra and shone brightly. His art and craft of batsmanship can be encapsulated by the way he scampered across the length and breadth of the crease, sprinkled with drives.
19.6 -
Shami to Jadeja, out Ishan Kishan Run Out!! 1 run completed. And a wicket off the final ball to cap off the innings. Sums up how well Delhi have bowled and fielded. Jadeja clipped this one to deep square and there was never a two there. Billings is onto it quickly and he sends in a flat, accurate throw to QDK who catches Ishan Kishan short. Ishan Kishan run out (S Billings/de Kock) 2(2)
Shami to Jadeja, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
19.5 -
Shami to Ishan Kishan, 1 run, slower one arrowing down leg, Kishan shuffles and drags the pull wide of fine leg
19.4 -
Shami to Jadeja, 1 run, hits the back of a length region and keeps it around middle and leg, Jadeja tucks behind square leg and all he could manage is a single
19.3 -
Shami to Ishan Kishan, 1 run, full toss drifting towards leg, Kishan flicks through mid-wicket and offers strike to Jaddu
19.2 -
Shami to Jadeja, leg byes, 1 run, back of a length tucks Jaddu for room, Jadeja misses the clip and is hit on the thigh pad, rolled away towards square leg
19.1 -
Shami to Jadeja, SIX, that's smacked into Mars! Full and in the slot, Jadeja clears his front leg and cashes on it. Lofting it with neat extension of the arms over long-on
Ishan Kishan, left handed bat, comes to the crease
6 balls left, how much can the Lions score?
18.6 -
C Morris to Faulkner, out Bowled!! Morris gets his man! Dipping full toss homing in on leg-stump. Missed the yorker but the delivery was good enough to beat Faulkner's attempted scoop. He walked too far across and lost the sight of the ball. Leg peg goes for a walk. Faulkner b C Morris 7(6)
C Morris to Faulkner, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
18.5 -
C Morris to Faulkner, 2 runs, low full toss and Faulkner swipes to deep mid-wicket
18.4 -
C Morris to Jadeja, 1 run, another one on the pads, Jadeja whips wristily to the same region again
18.3 -
C Morris to Jadeja, 2 runs, low full toss on the pads, Jadeja half-turns and clips it through mid-wicket
Round the wicket to Jaddu...
18.2 -
C Morris to Faulkner, 1 run, touch fuller outside off, Faulkner makes room and drives it wide of extra cover
18.1 -
C Morris to Faulkner, 2 runs, full and fired at the stumps, Faulkner thumps it down the ground and hustles back before long-off gets to the ball
Chris Morris [3.0-0-24-0] is back into the attack
Last 2, big overs coming up?
17.6 -
Shami to Faulkner, 1 run, too full just outside off, Faulkner knocks it to long-on and keeps the strike
17.5 -
Shami to Jadeja, 1 run, 124ks good length and straight, Jadeja opens his stance and looks to smack one through the leg-side, gets an inside edge onto the pad which dribbles behind square on the off-side
17.4 -
Shami to Faulkner, 1 run, low full toss at the stumps, driven down to long-on
James Faulkner, right handed bat, comes to the crease
17.3 -
Shami to D Karthik, out Bowled!! Knocked him over! DK shows his cards early by backing away a tad too early. Shami fires it on a length and aims for the top of off. DK fails to slice the drive and his off pole takes the beating. D Karthik b Shami 53(43) [4s-5]
Shami to D Karthik, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
17.2 -
Shami to D Karthik, FOUR, fifty for DK! Gritty knock. Another short one from Shami and DK is upto the task, shuffles a tad and murders the pull behind square
17.1 -
Shami to D Karthik, no run, Shami ups his pace and bowls a bumper, Karthik swivels and fails to make contact on his attempted pull
Mohammed Shami [2.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack
16.6 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, 2 runs, who wants it? who wants it? Nadeem couldn't cling on to a real tough one. This full delivery is skied high with a mistimed slog and to Jaddu's delight it lands just in front of a swooping Nadeem at deep mid-wicket. Might have got a hand on that but he was never catching that one
16.5 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, no run, denies pace again, keeps it straight on the stumps and Jadeja is forced to push that back
16.5 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, wide, sprayed full and down leg, reload that Zak!
16.4 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, no run, angles this off-cutter in and cramps Jaddu for room, he wanted to run it down to third man but is beaten for lack of pace
16.3 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, FOUR, short and ample width on offer, orthodox stuff from Jaddu who makes room and steers it late behind backward point
16.2 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, FOUR, full and in the slot, Jadeja biffs it down the pitch past the non-striker, crunched!
16.1 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, 2 runs, slower short ball outside off, Jadeja fails to fetch the pull and ends up dragging it off the bottom half wide of mid-on. Some poor fielding followed by some excellent runing
Zaheer Khan [3.0-0-14-1] is back into the attack
15.6 -
S Nadeem to Jadeja, 1 run, another one targetting the stumps, Jadeja eases it down to long-on. Went hard and ended up mistiming it towards the bowler who misfields in his followthrough
15.5 -
S Nadeem to Jadeja, 1 run, this full ball dips in around middle, Jadeja flicks to deep mid-wicket and runs... But Karthik did not ground the bat inside the crease while trying to return for the second and the umpire calls one-short
15.4 -
S Nadeem to Jadeja, FOUR, 98ks full outside off and Jadeja has thrashed that wide of long-off, beating Pant's desperate dive. Just stayed solid inside the crease and threw everything on the drive
15.3 -
S Nadeem to D Karthik, 1 run, allows the ball to rise and punches it towards long-on, just one short of his fifty now
15.2 -
S Nadeem to D Karthik, 2 runs, sinks to one knee and sweeps a straighter one to deep square leg
15.1 -
S Nadeem to D Karthik, 2 runs, 90ks on middle, DK waltzes down the pitch and lifts it inside out over extra cover. Well-timed!
Shahbaz Nadeem [2.0-0-12-2] is back into the attack
14.6 -
Shami to Jadeja, no run, perhaps the slower one, angled across wide of off, Jadeja looks to steer but is late on that. Certainly didn't pick the variation
14.5 -
Shami to Jadeja, no run, hops inside the crease and yells a loud "no" after tucking this short delivery into the leg-side
14.4 -
Shami to Jadeja, FOUR, sheesh! How well has he timed that? Dug in short, Jadeja gets on top of it with a ferocious pull through mid-wicket. 10 out of 10 for that shot
14.3 -
Shami to Jadeja, no run, touch fuller on middle and leg, Jadeja push-drives towards short extra cover, he ain't getting any single there
14.2 -
Shami to D Karthik, 1 run, 132ks length just outside off, Karthik opens his bat face to dab it towards backward point, easy single
14.1 -
Shami to D Karthik, 2 runs, full and straight, Karthik clips along the ground through mid-wicket and calls for two immediately, Jaddu responds and makes it with ease
Mohammed Shami [1.0-0-7-0] is back into the attack
That will be the final strategic time-out of this innings. Shami is back for his second burst
13.6 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, no run, shortish and outside off, punched towards point
13.5 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, no run, good length and good lines from Zak, Jadeja could only push that meekly towards cover
13.4 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, no run, back of a length just outside off, Jadeja mistimes the punch back to the bowler
13.3 -
Zaheer to D Karthik, 1 run, jumps down the pitch and sees the line wide of off. Adjusts and crouches low to slice this full delivery to third man
13.2 -
Zaheer to D Karthik, no run, good length around off, pushed back to the bowler
13.1 -
Zaheer to D Karthik, FOUR, short and DK says "Thank you." He is looking dangerous with every passing delivery, swivelling and hooking the cap off that delivery. Slotted through short fine, raced away!
Zak is bowling from round the wicket
12.6 -
Duminy to D Karthik, 1 run, slightly leg-sidish and Karthik is content with a single behind square, nudged
12.5 -
Duminy to D Karthik, no run, uses his feet and extends his arms on the drive, but is hit straight to cover
12.4 -
Duminy to D Karthik, no run, prodding forward and smothering the spin
12.3 -
Duminy to D Karthik, FOUR, dropped it a smidgen short and DK is onto it like a flash. Stepping back and crunching a cut through cover. Don't bother running...
12.2 -
Duminy to D Karthik, no run, angled away just outside off, with a little bit of turn, Karthik drives but is beaten for the angle
12.1 -
Duminy to Jadeja, 1 run, quicker on leg-stump, stroked to long-on
Jean-Paul Duminy [1.0-0-8-0] is back into the attack
11.6 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, 1 run, pings a short one at the ribcage, Jadeja swivels and pulls to deep mid-wicket
11.5 -
Zaheer to Jadeja, no run, direct hit and DK was gone! Jaddu tucks this delivery towards short square and DK is half-way down the pitch, sans consulting his partner. Sent back and Duminy's throw misses the stumps. Thus, dear readers, he is home
11.4 -
Zaheer to D Karthik, 3 runs, walks down the pitch and takes it on the half-volley, timed the flick off his legs but there is protection in the deep and hence DK settles for a well-run three
11.3 -
Zaheer to D Karthik, no run, 125ks slower delivery that deceives DK. He is way too early on the pull and misses by miles. Is hit on the arm-guard and rolls to the leg-side
11.2 -
Zaheer to D Karthik, no run, comes round the wicket this time, drags his length back and hurls it around fifth stump channel, Karthik rises on his toes to plonk that into the off-side
11.1 -
Zaheer to D Karthik, 2 runs, fullish and straight, keeps a bit low, DK presents the full face of the bat as he drives one wide of extra cover
Zaheer Khan [1.0-0-3-1] is back into the attack
Ravindra Jadeja, left handed bat, comes to the crease
10.6 -
Mishra to Raina, out Stumped!! He has done him in the flight. Raina is stumped and the umpires are checking for a possible no ball. The stumping is clean but is that a fair delivery? Looks like Mishy has got some part of the boot behind the line and is okay. "OUT" flashes on the giant screen and Raina is back on his bike. Premeditates and skips out to negate the spin on this delivery. But it was a googly and Raina got into a bit of a tangle as he fails to the fetch the delivery that's fired across him. He misses and QDK does the rest. Raina st de Kock b Mishra 24(20) [4s-1 6s-1]
Mishra to Raina, THAT'S OUT!! Stumped!!
10.5 -
Mishra to D Karthik, 1 run, flighted delivery just outside off, Karthik finds the gap through extra cover with a neat drive
10.4 -
Mishra to D Karthik, FOUR, excellent use of the feet! Dances down, takes it on the full and bludgeons it to the long-off fence. Brings up the 50-run stand too
10.3 -
Mishra to D Karthik, 2 runs, sliding in at his toes, DK clips through mid-wicket for another double
10.2 -
Mishra to D Karthik, 2 runs, neatly done by DK! Saunters down the pitch and chips straight down the ground for a jogged two
10.1 -
Mishra to Raina, 1 run, skips out, then holds back seeing the fullish length and pushes with a closed bat to long-on
9.6 -
Duminy to D Karthik, 2 runs, a drag down, Karthik gets good bounce to thrash this in front of square. Cut in the deep to cut the boundary off
9.5 -
Duminy to Raina, 1 run, looped well, drifts across and Raina allows it to dip before letting out a clip. Lots of wrists to a single to short fine leg
9.4 -
Duminy to Raina, no run, skidding in on middle and leg, Raina shuffles but could push it only to the left of the bowler
9.3 -
Duminy to Raina, 2 runs, arcs his front leg out of the way and punches this to long-on. Puts on the wheels and robs a single
9.2 -
Duminy to D Karthik, 1 run, more like it. Quicker on the pads to cut any room and Karthik makes peace with a clip round the corner
9.1 -
Duminy to D Karthik, 2 runs, spare him the spank, he's rusty! Looped high and it's a full toss on leg-stump. A very full ball actually...the dip deceived me too! Karthik sweeps and Mishra almost makes a mess at deep square leg. Ends up cartwheeling as he flicks the ball in, Morris interrupts and fires the throw in
Jean-Paul Duminy, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
No slip for JP...
Time-out! A 33-run stand to arrest the slide but Gujarat need some accelerators *Russell smirks somewhere near Hoogly*
8.6 -
Mishra to D Karthik, 1 run, drifts this in flatter, Karthik winds across and clips through mid-wicket
8.5 -
Mishra to Raina, 1 run, another wrong 'un but Raina is ready for them all. Tonight. An easy tuck wide of long-on
8.4 -
Mishra to D Karthik, 1 run, pings this in quicker on seeing Karthik backing away. The ball straightens within the stumps and Karthik lets out a high-batted punch to long-on
8.3 -
Mishra to Raina, 1 run, dabs this googly to point
8.2 -
Mishra to Raina, no run, too full to sweep actually. Is cramped, mistimes it off the inside half and the backward square leg intercepts
8.1 -
Mishra to D Karthik, 1 run, straightens wide of off, Karthik reaches out and flashes it to point
7.6 -
C Morris to D Karthik, 1 run, Morris carries Jo'burg with him. Gets good height on this back of a length delivery sliding across, turns around but is not quick enough. Fends, takes his bottom hand off, gets it off the glove and gets a single to fine leg
7.5 -
C Morris to Raina, 1 run, full on the pads. You do that when Raina's pulling you. Tickled to deep mid-wicket for a joggy single
7.4 -
C Morris to Raina, FOUR, tests Raina with a short ball again from over the wicket. Angled across him and Raina did well to time his swivel. Powered his pull to fetch it from outside off and turned with it to place it wide of backward square leg. Top shot
Still a slip..
7.3 -
C Morris to D Karthik, 1 run, width on offer, Karthik cuts - more like a mistimed one- to third man
7.2 -
C Morris to D Karthik, FOUR, the AB shot. Pre-empts the shuffle, walks across the stumps and takes this full ball on the half-volley. Scooped wide of the fine leg in place to shoplift this boundary
7.1 -
C Morris to Raina, 1 run, back of a length within the stumps, Raina half-turns on the tuck through mid-wicket
7.1 -
C Morris to Raina, wide, big appeal. A very big one. There was a noise. Morris thought that it was strangled down leg. Replays show it was the pad. Curls down leg this one, pitches and swings late to beat Raina's flick and take the pad
Chris Morris [2.0-0-11-0] is back into the attack
There's a healthy crowd in. Not the choked house but it's a weekday too
6.6 -
Mishra to Raina, 1 run, slides on with the angle and might have been the googly. Raina waits for it to get past him and extends his bat to push it to short third man
6.5 -
Mishra to D Karthik, 1 run, plonks his front leg further ahead this time, had the room made and middles the defensive drive to long-off
6.4 -
Mishra to D Karthik, no run, delicious flight, Karthik was making room, was on the front foot too and mistimes the drive short of cover
6.3 -
Mishra to D Karthik, no run, drifts in on middle and skids on, Karthik hurries to defend this back
6.2 -
Mishra to Raina, 1 run, flatter and stays low, Raina hunches lower to clip it to mid-wicket
6.1 -
Mishra to D Karthik, 1 run, just a hint of turn from middle. The slow pace allowed it to do so. Good that there's a slip. Karthik covers for the turn too much and skews it off the inside half to mid-on
Amit Mishra, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
5.6 -
Shami to D Karthik, 1 run, shortens the length back to arrest the shimmy, and Karthik makeshifts with a tuck to mid-on. End of a frugal powerplay. 35 runs and 3 wickets
5.5 -
Shami to D Karthik, no run, gets his elbows higher as he allows this fullish ball to slide in. The bat face closes on impact and it's a push to mid-on
5.4 -
Shami to D Karthik, no run, commits on the front foot, defend-punches this on the up to mid-off and doesn't bother with a single
5.3 -
Shami to Raina, leg byes, 1 run, back of a length delivery skidding on, Raina is late on the tuck and is hit high on the thigh. Going over comfortably and the appeal dies down
5.2 -
Shami to Raina, SIX, that's been bullied. Raina was up for it. He always is. The short ball. Shami pounds in a bumper, Raina backs away a touch to make room, puts on the jet pack to jump higher and cut uppishly over third man. All. The. Way
Still a slip. Thank you Zaheer
5.1 -
Shami to Raina, no run, backs away early, exposes the stumps and interrupts in time to punch this to cover. No single
Mohammed Shami, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
This has been a redemption powerplay for Delhi. Always on the receiving side, not tonight
4.6 -
C Morris to D Karthik, no run, length ball slides on quickly, Karthik almost has to shave this off his pads...with a closing stance and towards square leg
4.5 -
C Morris to D Karthik, no run, biffs this into the pitch, Karthik is too committed to go further back and gets his hands higher. Couldn't get it much higher and is hit on the splice, as he looked to defend
4.4 -
C Morris to D Karthik, no run, there's the back-bender...from Morris and from Karthik. Pacy bumper, Karthik reads the pace on that and sways away
4.3 -
C Morris to Raina, 1 run, gets the shorter length, plays the one-legged pull and gets a single to fine leg
4.2 -
C Morris to Raina, no run, dabbed with an open bat and runs. Billings intercepts at point, has a strike at the stumps but misses. Karthik might have been short there
4.1 -
C Morris to Raina, 2 runs, full and outside off, wristed through mid-wicket for a brace
Chris Morris [1.0-0-8-0] is back into the attack
Dinesh Karthik, right handed bat, comes to the crease
3.6 -
S Nadeem to Finch, out Caught by Rishabh Pant!! This is harakiri. Another one perishes. Drifting down leg, Finch looks to sweep. Gets a top-edge that carries only as far as short fine leg. Just a few steps back to take this. The ball bounced a touch more to trap Finch there. Finch c Rishabh Pant b S Nadeem 5(5) [4s-1]
S Nadeem to Finch, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
3.5 -
S Nadeem to Finch, FOUR, how do I put it? Short, yes, Finche goes downtown. Uses his long handle (on the golf club?) and flat-bats it wide of the umpire
3.4 -
S Nadeem to Finch, no run, slows it down, Finch stands still and punches it back down
3.3 -
S Nadeem to Raina, 1 run, carries on with the angle, Raina hops back to make his tuck less cramped. To long-on for a single. Raina is off the mark
3.2 -
S Nadeem to Finch, 1 run, slung across the batsman down leg, Finch turns around, tickles and gets a single
3.2 -
S Nadeem to Finch, wide, gets it to dip outside the tramline, given as a wide
Suresh Raina, left handed bat, comes to the crease
3.1 -
S Nadeem to Dwayne Smith, out Caught by C Morris!! Wait, what? Delhi have made up for half their sins - started timidly with the ball but not today. Not the greatest of deliveries to get the second wicket. Slightly shortish in length to tempt Smith into the mow over long-on, skids on quickly and Smith ended up mistiming it high to the man in the deep. Just swung his bat, was early and paid the price off the toe-end. Dwayne Smith c C Morris b S Nadeem 15(14) [4s-3]
S Nadeem to Dwayne Smith, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Shahbaz Nadeem [1.0-0-5-0] is back into the attack
I swear to the Gods (Old and the New) that I was fearing for BMac tonight. There he goes, making the psychic in me all the more stronger
2.6 -
Zaheer to Finch, no run, hurries this on from leg-stump, Finch is already closing himself on the tuck but is late given the skid. Struck on the thigh, tries to sneak a leg bye but can't
Aaron Finch, right handed bat, comes to the crease
2.5 -
Zaheer to Brendon McCullum, out Bowled!! Zaheer strikes. The binary strikes. Gets it on a length, rolls his fingers over without robbing much of the pace and deceives McCullum. He's early into his blindfolded slog across the line, misses and the LEDs light up. Didn't think it stayed low; more the finger roll that did Brendon McCullum. Brendon McCullum b Zaheer 1(4)
Zaheer to Brendon McCullum, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
2.4 -
Zaheer to Dwayne Smith, 1 run, the leg-stumpish line helps this time. Similar length, Smith places it finer this time and steals a single to backward square leg
2.3 -
Zaheer to Dwayne Smith, no run, back of a length delivery, 132ks, Smith closes up, gets up with the bounce and tucks it tamely into the leg-side
2.2 -
Zaheer to Brendon McCullum, 1 run, goes fuller, goes wider of off and Brendon McCullum gets off the mark with a creamed front foot drive. Cleaned up by the sweeper in the deep. Binary numbers still in contention, fellas!
Brendon McCullum has the strike...to face only his third ball. What have we got? He deals in extremes, mind you. Not sure why the delay..
2.1 -
Zaheer to Dwayne Smith, 1 run, length ball on leg-stump from over the wicket, an easy tuck to square leg
Zaheer Khan, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
1.6 -
C Morris to Brendon McCullum, no run, pounds this on a back of a length, gets good bounce too and McCullum just had to raise his bat higher to defend. No feet. Stood there and used his hands to defend
1.5 -
C Morris to Dwayne Smith, leg byes, 1 run, sliding in on the pads, Smith was late to tuck it away and does so off his pads
1.4 -
C Morris to Dwayne Smith, FOUR, that's a drive in free fall. Overpitched, yes, but Smith was quickly forward to cream it wide of mid-off. Zaheer flung to his left but that sped off the bat. Under his arm and to the fences
1.3 -
C Morris to Dwayne Smith, no run, goes wider with the same back of a length outside off, Smith protracted hands but crouched as he pushed it into the off-side. Staying low?
1.2 -
C Morris to Dwayne Smith, no run, 143ks ball dragged back, Smith had to rise up with the bounce and bunted it down the track. That's a better length. Much better than full tarts
1.1 -
C Morris to Dwayne Smith, FOUR, pies to start. Curling full on the pads, Smith just has to bury his head and clip it through deep mid-wicket. Never an easy start. Never
Chris Morris, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
One slip for Morris too
0.6 -
S Nadeem to Brendon McCullum, no run, vocal-chord hurting appeal and umpire Chris Gaffaney says that there was some wood on that. McCullum was looking to shuffle across, get outside the line and clip a single. Ball hurries in off the pitch, takes the inside edge and thuds into the front pad. But for an inside edge, that ball might have flirted with the off-stump
0.5 -
S Nadeem to Dwayne Smith, 1 run, stays put to this delivery, allows it to slip in and then uses the bottom hand to chip it uppishly through mid-wicket
0.4 -
S Nadeem to Dwayne Smith, no run, quicker delivery on the stumps, nurdled into the leg-side
0.3 -
S Nadeem to Dwayne Smith, FOUR, drags his length back, Smith gets on his knee and barrels a sweep round the corner. Rolled his wrists to keep it on the ground too
0.2 -
S Nadeem to Dwayne Smith, no run, slides with the angle on leg-stump, Smith clips to mid-wicket...and Brendon McCullum is halfway down the pitch. Is sent back and he makes it in back safely
0.1 -
S Nadeem to Dwayne Smith, no run, fired on off, Smith is half-forward and the ball skids on to take the inner half. Squirted square on the leg-side
Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum are at the crease. Dwayne Smith is on strike. S Nadeem will open the attack
This Delhi team continues to impress with Zaheer's reputation as a strategist enhancing rapidly. "He's a genius," to quote Morris from earlier. So with that, it's time to wrap things up. This is Sagar Chawla signing off on behalf of Raju Peethala, Pratyush Sinha, Bharat Ramaraj, and our scorer Venkatesh. Ta-ta!
Pant: "It's a pleasure playing for DEL as everyone is supporting a youngster like me. Great experience for me because in the U-19 WC, Rahul Sir was our coach. It was good to bat with QdK as the wicket was nice and the ball was coming nicely. I don't know where my jersey no. 777 comes from, it's just a random number."
Rishabh Pant is the Man of the Match for a dazzling fifty..
Zaheer: "Trying to keep up with the young energy on the field. Really needs to be applauded, the way they ran in to save runs, has to be applauded. It's about giving everyone freedom to express themselves on the field. It's really important to play that brand. That's been the approach from the beginning of the tournament, we take conditions into consideration and then decide the combination. Everyone is supportive of that plan and we know what we want to achieve as a team. Rishabh has taken a leaf out of Quinny's book. We'll leave the boys alone tonight, whatever fun they want to have. Morris has requested me to use the word 'porcupine' in the presentation. I have no idea what is the context. Whatever works for him."
Rishabh Pant made a mockery of the chase, with QDK playing the second fiddle - Once DEL piled up 114 in 13 overs, the game was all but over. Although Delhi lost Pant and QDK, the damage was done by then. Duminy and Samson did the garnishing job, handing Gujarat their second successive defeat.
2014: Shahbaz Nadeem, 2015: Shreyas Iyer, 2016: Rishabh Pant. The Delhi have a history, and a telling one too. Irrespective of outcomes, they keep throwing youngsters into difficult situations, allowing them to excel and exhibit their skill. Today it's Rishabh Pant's day. Boy, ain't he too good today? Watchout guys and girls, he is one for the future. A talent furnished and fabricated under the safe hands of Rahul Dravid. Nuff said!
"It's disappointing. Even in the previous game, we didn't bat well. They had a brilliant partnership in the first six overs. Still we have a long way to go and have to play well. More than the batting, Bravo's bowling with all the variations were missed. We will be playing a few games away from home now, and we have done well in away games. Want to thank the people of Gujarat. Thanks to Niranjan Shah for supporting us too. Sometimes we don't know what the wicket is going to be - sometimes we have to defend, sometimes we have to chase a score. We'll have a few meetings and see how it goes," says Raina.
17.2 -
Jadeja to Samson, SIX, finishes it by nailing a slog-sweep over deep mid-wicket. It's been a thumping win for the visitors
17.1 -
Jadeja to Samson, 2 runs, this is a spectacular effort from B-Mac. Whoa, looks even better on replays. Samson waltzes down the track but mistimes the loft. Still looks like clearing the fence at wide long-on before McCullum darts into the frame. Then, defying all laws of physics, jumps backward, catches it with one hand while air-borne and back-flicks it into the playing area. What commitment!
16.6 -
Shivil to Duminy, 2 runs, that flick has been timed so well. Nearly raced to the square leg boundary, before being hauled back in from deep backward square
16.5 -
Shivil to Samson, 1 run, would have wanted to hit this much straighter than what he has managed to. Flighted googly outside off, tries to lift it with the turn but then he ends up slicing it over the point region
16.4 -
Shivil to Samson, no run, flatter googly outside off, dabbed to short third man
16.3 -
Shivil to Duminy, 1 run, clips a fullish ball down to long-on
16.2 -
Shivil to Duminy, FOUR, follows it up with an exquisite lofted drive over extra-cover. These three left handers have lit up the night. Fullish googly outside off, Duminy leans into it and marinades it to the fence
16.1 -
Shivil to Duminy, FOUR, oh superbly executed. Again, it's not the easiest balls to reverse-sweep as he is handcuffed for room. But then Duminy so smartly paddles it past short third man
15.6 -
Jadeja to Samson, no run, flatter on the stumps, turned into the on-side
15.5 -
Jadeja to Duminy, 1 run, nudges to the left of Jadeja who dives to make a half-stop. Can't prevent the single
15.4 -
Jadeja to Samson, 1 run, patted in front of cover for a quick single
15.3 -
Jadeja to Samson, FOUR, completely deserves this treatment, does Jadeja. As a spinner, there should be a suit filed against you for overstepping. Tries to mitigate the free-hit by darting a full ball outside off, but Samson uses a lot of bottom hand to power it straight of long-off
15.3 -
Jadeja to Samson, no ball, a stumping appeal has been referred. And the process has been stalled at Jadeja's front foot landing itself. It's very very close. When the toes land on the ground, the heal is in the air with no part of it behind the crease. Very close but nothing behind. So a free-hit coming up. What happened was that Jadeja got one to turn off the straight and beat Samson's outside edge. Fascinatingly, his back foot was in the air when the bails were whipped. So the last possible ray of hope for GUJ is vanquished
15.2 -
Jadeja to Duminy, 1 run, shapes for the reverse-sweep premeditatedly, but picks the wrong ball. Ends up having to fetch it from outside leg and can only nudge a single towards point
15.1 -
Jadeja to Samson, 1 run, milks a single down to long-off
14.6 -
Shivil to Duminy, no run, shimmies out and mistimes a push back to the bowler
Jean-Paul Duminy, left handed bat, comes to the crease
14.5 -
Shivil to de Kock, out Caught by Dwayne Smith!! And now it's the turn of de Kock to throw it away. Probably it's the high temperatures, probably the boredom of everything being too easy. Whatever it is, there's a clear misjudgement of length on his part. Too full to be playing the slog-sweep, but he still manages a decent enough contact. Only that this is a mammoth stadium, big boundaries. Caught at deep mid-wicket around 10 yards inside the rope. de Kock c Dwayne Smith b Shivil 46(45) [4s-4 6s-1]
Shivil to de Kock, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
14.4 -
Shivil to Samson, 1 run, quick, short, and outside off. Punched to sweeper cover
14.3 -
Shivil to de Kock, 1 run, that's his problem area, too many variations in length. This one is a big full toss outside off. Creamed through the covers
14.2 -
Shivil to de Kock, no run, flat and down leg, de Kock paddles it to short fine
14.1 -
Shivil to Samson, 1 run, darts a shortish googly around off, hoicked along the turf to deep mid-wicket
Shivil Kaushik [2.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack
A very important strategic time-out, everything hinges on it with 32 required from 36...
13.6 -
Jadeja to Samson, 1 run, slides on with the arm, and is nudged through mid-wicket
13.5 -
Jadeja to de Kock, 1 run, shorter in length and patted off the back foot through the covers
13.4 -
Jadeja to Samson, 1 run, quicker through the air, drifting in towards off. Not much turn at all and Samson is easily able to push it towards long-off
Sanju Samson, right handed bat, comes to the crease
A slip for the new man..
13.3 -
Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, out Caught by D Karthik!! Ah, some consolation for Gujarat. A tired shot from Pant after a superb innings sees the end of him. Darted on middle from round the wicket, Pant aims a slog-sweep but chops it off the bottom edge onto pad and spoons a dolly for Karthik to complete. Rishabh Pant c D Karthik b Jadeja 69(40) [4s-9 6s-2]
Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
13.2 -
Jadeja to Rishabh Pant, no run, closes the bat-face a bit too early and the leading edge rolls past Jadeja
13.1 -
Jadeja to de Kock, 1 run, quicker and on the pads, flicked through mid-wicket
Ravindra Jadeja, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
12.6 -
Dwayne Smith to de Kock, 1 run, slower back of a length delivery outside off, patted in front of short third man
12.5 -
Dwayne Smith to de Kock, FOUR, brilliantly played. Oh, this man. What a delight with that backlift. Punches a full ball airily over mid-off
12.4 -
Dwayne Smith to de Kock, no run, is that a chance? Smith is on his haunches, so if his reaction is any clue. But firstly, where did that even come from? Pacy short ball, over de Kock's right shoulder and he is rushed by it. Misses with the pull, and Karthik can't pouch it either for some reason. Really, a regulation take. But I'm not even sure if it took any glove
12.3 -
Dwayne Smith to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, pulls a short of length delivery off the front foot to deep mid-wicket
12.2 -
Dwayne Smith to Rishabh Pant, 2 runs, even yorker length deliveries are being aggressively treated. Drives it muscularly past a diving mid-off, but long-on runs around and tidies up
12.1 -
Dwayne Smith to de Kock, 1 run, slams a yorker outside off, squeezed wide of the cover fielder
11.6 -
Faulkner to Rishabh Pant, SIX, wow. Isn't he coming into his own! This promotion at the top of the order has worked wonders for the 18-year old. Length ball just outside off, Pant strides forward and swings it through the line straight back over Faulkner's head. Easily clears
11.5 -
Faulkner to Rishabh Pant, no run, places the square cut straight towards backward point who has to dive forward to prevent an awkward bounce
11.4 -
Faulkner to de Kock, 1 run, another cutter around the off-stump, de Kock tries to work it through the on-side but chops it off a thick inside edge onto pad. Looks up at his partner, while the ball is dribbling away in front of the keeper, and the call is 'yes'. Good running
11.3 -
Faulkner to de Kock, no run, an off-cutter on a back of a length just outside off, de Kock drops it with soft hands towards backward point
11.2 -
Faulkner to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, Pant flicks a length ball to deep mid-wicket, and settles with a single despite a misfield
11.1 -
Faulkner to de Kock, 1 run, shortish outside off, and there's an opportunity for de Kock to free his arms again. Belts out a late-cut to third man. It was in the air for a while but dropped well in front
James Faulkner, comes into the attack
This match looks completely one-sided from here. Would put a corpse to sleep. But hey, the glamorous batting on display makes up for it
10.6 -
Dwayne Smith to de Kock, 1 run, fullish outside off, driven to deep cover
10.5 -
Dwayne Smith to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, Smith experiments with the bouncer, a brave thing for his pace, and Pant is able to pull it off the front foot through square leg
10.4 -
Dwayne Smith to Rishabh Pant, no run, length ball around off, Pant prods forward and blocks
10.3 -
Dwayne Smith to de Kock, 1 run, this time he waits a tad bit longer and lashes a late-cut to third man
10.2 -
Dwayne Smith to de Kock, no run, planted into the blockhole outside off, de Kock can't make contact twice in a row. Unusual on the night
10.1 -
Dwayne Smith to de Kock, no run, tries to make good of a hint of width by flashing a windy square cut, but fails to connect
Dwayne Smith, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
9.6 -
Shivil to Rishabh Pant, 2 runs, Pant eases it to sweeper cover and quick running between the wickets help the pair to steal in a couple of runs
9.5 -
Shivil to Rishabh Pant, no run, flatter delivery and on the stumps, Pant almost yorks himself, but manages to keep it out
9.4 -
Shivil to de Kock, 1 run, de Kock push-drives it to long-on
9.3 -
Shivil to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, well, again it is that man, Jadeja, who comes up with a supreme effort in the deep. Pant butchers it towards the mid-wicket fence, where Jadeja runs around the boundary rope and saves a few runs
9.2 -
Shivil to Rishabh Pant, no run, pushed through from Shivil, defended
9.1 -
Shivil to Rishabh Pant, FOUR, Pant is just taking the opposition to the cleaners now. Flatter delivery and on the stumps, Pant buries it to the mid-wicket boundary
8.6 -
Raina to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, pushes it down to long-on for another easy run
8.5 -
Raina to Rishabh Pant, SIX, Pant is playing a blizzard. He reaches his fifty in style. He slogs a flatter delivery over the mid-wicket fence. It went a long way back. Remember, this is a big ground
8.4 -
Raina to Rishabh Pant, no run, Pant dances down the pitch, but gets a leading edge towards the cover-region
8.3 -
Raina to Rishabh Pant, FOUR, shorter in length, Pant rocks back and pulls it to the deep mid-wicket fence. He is on a roll today
8.2 -
Raina to Rishabh Pant, FOUR, lovely strike by Pant. He skips out of the track, takes it on the half-volley, keeps the drive all along the ground into the downtown territories
8.1 -
Raina to de Kock, 1 run, de Kock charges down the track, but Raina follows him. de Kock gets a leading edge towards point. He did not have much of a clue there
7.6 -
Shivil to Rishabh Pant, no run, flatter ball and on the stumps, Pant defends
7.5 -
Shivil to Rishabh Pant, no run, Pant guides it to short third man
7.4 -
Shivil to de Kock, 1 run, now de Kock plays the reverse sweep, doesn't middle it and finds the backward point fielder, who fires in a throw at the non-striker's end, but to no avail
7.3 -
Shivil to de Kock, no run, too straight from Shivil, tucked into the on-side
7.2 -
Shivil to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, Pant eases it down to backward point
Kaushik is not happy with the arm-guard that the umpire is wearing. He brushed it while trying to get into his delivery stride. As a result, asks him to take it, but Oxenford apologises and ensures that the arm is well within the line of his body without disturbing the bowler
7.1 -
Shivil to Rishabh Pant, FOUR, slightly shorter in length, Pant looks to reverse sweep and gets it off the glove past the keeper and the ball zooms away to the third man fence
Well, Kaushik had to reload twice.
Shivil Kaushik, left-arm chinaman, comes into the attack
6.6 -
Raina to de Kock, no run, Karthik has put down a sharp chance there. de Kock looks to drive, but loses his balance, and his back-heel comes out of the crease. But Karthik can't collect the ball cleanly and it pops out. de Kock makes his ground back
6.5 -
Raina to de Kock, no run, de Kock manufactures room and mistimes the cut to point
6.4 -
Raina to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, Pant rolls his wrists on this flatter delivery and tucks it to deep mid-wicket
6.3 -
Raina to de Kock, 1 run, too straight from Raina, clipped to deep mid-wicket
6.2 -
Raina to de Kock, no run, slightly shorter in length, de Kock mistimes the cut into the off-side
6.1 -
Raina to de Kock, no run, de Kock makes room and drives it to cover
The Time-Out is in place now. Thundering typhoons! This has been a blazing start. de Kock and Pant have creamed the opposition ranks by exploring every crevice in the field. I can now have a breather.
5.6 -
D Kulkarni to Rishabh Pant, no run, slower ball sliding down leg, Pant kneels to scoop, gets it very fine and the keeper tidies up
5.5 -
D Kulkarni to Rishabh Pant, FOUR, very full and it turns out to be yet another of those off-pace deliveries, Pant lifts it to the long-on boundary. It just zooted away to the fences
5.4 -
D Kulkarni to de Kock, 1 run, whenever I do commentary for a game involving GUJ, Baz and Jadeja are always on fire in the field. The slower one that is bowled outside off, de Kock eases it down to Jadeja at backward point, who dives and saves a few more runs for his team. How many times I have said that this season?
5.3 -
D Kulkarni to de Kock, FOUR, short and subsidized with width, de Kock makes his own room as well and cracks it over the short third man fielder and into the fence
5.2 -
D Kulkarni to de Kock, no run, back of a length delivery and angled away, de Kock camps back and defends
5.1 -
D Kulkarni to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, Kulkarni uses the slower one, Pant clips it to mid-wicket
Dhawal Kulkarni [1.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack
4.6 -
Raina to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, shorter in length, Pant pulls it to deep mid-wicket
4.5 -
Raina to Rishabh Pant, FOUR, this has been a rollicking 50-run stand between the pair. Pant sinks on one knee and slog-sweeps it to the deep backward square leg fence
4.4 -
Raina to de Kock, 1 run, too straight from Raina, pushed to long-on
4.3 -
Raina to de Kock, no run, very full and outside off, de Kock drives it to the left of cover, who makes a fine save with a dive
4.2 -
Raina to Rishabh Pant, 3 runs, Pant camps back, stays leg-side of the ball and punches it to deep backward point to collect three runs
4.1 -
Raina to de Kock, 1 run, de Kock closes the bat face too early and ekes out a leading edge to Baz at extra cover, who fumbles a bit and that facilitates a single
3.6 -
P Kumar to de Kock, 1 run, width on offer, de Kock cuts it to Jadeja at backward point, who makes a sharp save
3.5 -
P Kumar to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, from wide of the crease, Praveen hits a back of a length, Pant jabs it to deep square leg, where Ishan again comes into play. For a moment, the ball pops out of his hand, but he recovers quickly and keeps Pant to just a run
3.4 -
P Kumar to de Kock, 1 run, fuller length delivery and angled in, de Kock crunches the pick-up shot, but Ishan at deep square leg, showcases sharp work
3.3 -
P Kumar to de Kock, no run, the off-cutter from Praveen, de Kock clips it into the on-side
3.3 -
P Kumar to de Kock, wide, from round the wicket, Praveen rolls his fingers on it, de Kock misses with his nudge and it is signalled as a wide
3.2 -
P Kumar to de Kock, SIX, Praveen yanks his length back a bit, de Kock again brings out the pick-up shot and it clears the fine leg fence with utmost ease
The keeper is upto the stumps now
3.1 -
P Kumar to de Kock, no run, a tad fuller and Praveen pushes it wide of off, de Kock slaps it to cover-point, but can't bisect the gap
Praveen Kumar [1.0-0-10-0] is back into the attack
2.6 -
Raina to de Kock, 1 run, too straight from Raina, clipped to mid-wicket
2.5 -
Raina to de Kock, 2 runs, fired in and on the stumps, de Kock stays slightly leg-side of the ball and drives it to long-off for a brace
2.4 -
Raina to Rishabh Pant, leg byes, 1 run, Pant takes a step out of the crease and aims to tuck it around the corner and misses. The ball rolls across towards the off-side and they sneak in a leg-bye
2.3 -
Raina to de Kock, 1 run, pushed through from Raina, punched to long-off
2.2 -
Raina to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, slightly shorter in length, Pant cuts it to backward point
2.1 -
Raina to de Kock, 1 run, flatter delivery from round the wicket, de Kock push-drives it to long-off
Suresh Raina, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
1.6 -
D Kulkarni to Rishabh Pant, 2 runs, fuller length delivery from Kulkarni, Pant whips it to deep mid-wicket, where Kishan tidies up
1.5 -
D Kulkarni to Rishabh Pant, FOUR, well, it is raining fours at the moment. A touch of width on offer, Pant cracks the punch to the deep backward point fence. He nailed that one
1.4 -
D Kulkarni to Rishabh Pant, FOUR, in the Under-19 WC in Bangladesh, Pant showed that ability to twin timing and placement. Here, too, he pushes forward, drives it between point and cover and the ball vrooms away to the fence. It breached the gap with needlepoint precision
1.3 -
D Kulkarni to Rishabh Pant, FOUR, fuller length delivery and on the stumps, Pant uses the pick-up shot and it races away to the deep mid-wicket boundary
1.2 -
D Kulkarni to Rishabh Pant, no run, good length delivery and outside off, Pant drives it on the up to Jadeja at backward point, who dives to his left and saves a few runs for his team. Streak applauds in the dug-out
1.1 -
D Kulkarni to Rishabh Pant, no run, fuller length delivery and outside off, left alone to the keeper. It was close to being called a wide
Dhawal Kulkarni, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
P Kumar to de Kock, FOUR, Praveen yanks his length back, de Kock pulls it off the sweet spot of the willow to the long-on fence. He has that uncanny ability to crunch the pull off the front foot. The fielder at mid-on did put in a dive, but to no avail. Bright start for DEL
0.5 -
P Kumar to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, length delivery and a wee bit of shape away from Pant, he plonks his front foot and gets a leading edge to short-cover, who tidies up
0.4 -
P Kumar to de Kock, 1 run, length delivery and angled away, de Kock tucks it to short mid-wicket
0.3 -
P Kumar to de Kock, FOUR, sliding down leg, de Kock cracks the short arm pull to the deep backward square leg fence. Kaushik fumbles a touch and that facilitates a boundary
0.2 -
P Kumar to de Kock, no run, well, a rush of blood for de Kock. He survives though. Good length delivery and it bounces awkwardly, de Kock attempts to slap it on the up and is beaten
0.1 -
P Kumar to de Kock, no run, length delivery and on the stumps, defended
de Kock and Rishabh Pant are at the crease. de Kock is on strike. P Kumar will open the attack