IPL 2020: After a stellar win, Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer says the squad earned it

Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer revealed how his team mand to defend a mammoth total of 228 during  Dream11 IPL 2020 match against Kolkata at Sharjah Cricket Stium on Saturday. Delhi beat two-time winners by 18 runs to leapfrog to summit of points table. 

Iyer himself h led from front with bat as he scored an outstanding 38-ball 88 at a strike rate of 231.58 that included seven boundaries and six maximums. He remained unbeaten as well. In reply, former champions ran out of steam as y lost wickets at regular intervals and even though ir middle-order batsmen did man to hit some big sixes it was too late by n as y were eventually restricted to 210/8.

'It is really difficult to defend here': Shreyas Iyer

"It is really difficult to defend here. It has been such an amazing tournament, especially in Sharjah. It is always a thrill to play at this ground, last time I played here was in under-19s. Winning match was icing on cake. It was really necessary for me to take time at start which I did in earlier games as well. It was right time for me to take on bowlers and n rotate strike as well after that. Luckily it worked out for me. I kw hard work and smart work I have put in through my gym sessions, so I wouldn't say I am a very gifted player. We keep talking about close victories and this was one of m. Really satisfied with way everyone stepped up. Unfortunate to lose Mishra in middle when he was spinning ball really well. We were confident we h two good overs left, but anything could happen, it is a funny game is T20s and especially here in Sharjah. We really have a good platform and we have to be insatiable with our work ethics and keep getting better game after game from here on", said Shreyas Iyer during post-match interview. He was also judged Man of Match for his stellar kck.

His opposite number Dinesh Karthik said that he has t decided to make any changes in top-order as of w.

" way boys batted is something I am really proud of, we kept fighting till end which is nature of our team. Really happy with effort we put in today. Maybe in between 10-13 overs, we didn't get many boundaries, we lost a couple of wickets as well which sets you back in such run chases. To be honest, a couple more sixes and we would have crossed line, we wouldn't be talking about lengths. I thought it was a hard wicket to bowl on and bowlers did a fabulous job, maybe 10 runs too many but it's okay. We trust him (Andre Russell) and believe he is best in business, we want to give him eugh time to create an impact on game and that's something we want to encour. I haven't thought about it (wher re will be any changes in top-order since move of opening innings with Sunil Narine has t paid off) but maybe after this game, I will sit down with coaching staff. We still believe in Narine and whenever he gets going he gets us off to a great start", he said.

(Im Courtesy: @DelhiCapitals)