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

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

Iyer himself had led from the front with the 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, the former champions ran out of steam as they lost wickets at regular intervals and even though their middle-order batsmen did manage to hit some big sixes it was too late by then as they 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, the last time I played here was in the under-19s. Winning the match was the icing on the cake. It was really necessary for me to take time at the start which I did in the earlier games as well. It was the right time for me to take on the bowlers and then rotate the strike as well after that. Luckily it worked out for me. I know the hard work and the 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 them. Really satisfied with the way everyone stepped up. Unfortunate to lose Mishra in the middle when he was spinning the ball really well. We were confident we had 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 the post-match interview. He was also adjudged the Man of the Match for his stellar knock.

His opposite number Dinesh Karthik said that he has not decided to make any changes in the top-order as of now.

"The way the boys batted is something I am really proud of, we kept fighting till the end which is the nature of our team. Really happy with the 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 the line, we wouldn't be talking about the lengths. I thought it was a hard wicket to bowl on and the bowlers did a fabulous job, maybe 10 runs too many but it's okay. We trust him (Andre Russell) and believe he is the best in the business, we want to give him enough time to create an impact on the game and that's something we want to encourage. I haven't thought about it (whether there will be any changes in the top-order since the move of opening the innings with Sunil Narine has not paid off) but maybe after this game, I will sit down with the coaching staff. We still believe in Narine and whenever he gets going he gets us off to a great start", he said.

(Image Courtesy: @DelhiCapitals)