'There'll always be nerves': Rabada speaks after stunning Super Over thriller vs Punjab

Kagiso Rabada said that there will always be nerves no matter how experienced a player is when he finds himself in a tight situation. In an absolute thriller on the very second day of Dream11 IPL 2020, Delhi defeated Punjab in the Super Over to register their first victory of the season.

KG Rabada wrapped up Punjab's innings when he dismissed skipper KL Rahul and Nicholas Pooran off successive deliveries to set Delhi a target of just three runs in the Super Over. 

'There will always be nerves': Kagiso Rabada

"There will always be nerves no matter how long I play when things get tight. Lucky that it came off today. It just depends what's working for me on the day and some days you just get a feel for what might work and today I was mixing the lengths up and really glad it worked. Sometimes it works and sometimes it won't. Decent bounce on this wicket and the boundaries are quite big and I did back myself with extra pace and bounce", said Rabada while speaking during the post-match interview.

Losing captain KL Rahul termed it as a bittersweet moment and also hailed his opening partner Mayank Agarwal for his gutsy knock.

"It is bittersweet. If at the end of 10 overs, if you had said this match is going to a Super over, I would have taken it. It's still our first game, so lots of learning. He (Mayank) was unbelievable and to get a game that close was magical. He's been doing well in Tests and to get the game that close again brings a lot of confidence in the group. Like I said at the toss, we didn't know what to expect. The wicket remains the same for both teams, so can't really complain. I will gladly take it as a captain whatever the result is. We stuck to what we planned but we did make a few mistakes. At 55 for five, we were calm and still positive", said Rahul.

Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer said that it was difficult to see the game turning in different directions. 

"It was difficult to see the game turning in different directions. We are used to this. Even last season we faced these. KG is the winning performer, and the way Stoinis batted was game-changing. Our top-order batsmen are difficult to stop like Prithvi. It wasn't easy from the outset to start hitting immediately, and Rishabh and I batted well in the middle to anchor the innings. Catching has been difficult because of the lights right in our eyes, but that's not an excuse because we have had practice, so we need to strengthen that area. It was important for us to get wickets since the total was small, and I knew if I saved KG's over for the end it would be helpful. Ashwin's over was a key one, and it changed the game in our favor, but that's what T20 cricket is. Ashwin says he'll be ready for the next game, but in the end, the physio is going to decide. Axar was fantastic with those middle overs too, stifling the runs in the middle after Ashwin was injured. We generally go by left-right combination in the team build-up. The way Stoinis assessed the wicket and played that innings was commendable", he said.

Marcus Stoinis who was adjudged Player of the Match termed it as a 'weird game'. 

"It's a weird game, sometimes the luck goes your way, but it's easy to become the villain from the hero. So it's important to enjoy the good days. I try to close down the areas where the bowlers can bowl, and it worked today. It's important to feed off everyone's energy. It's nice that the IPL has gotten going again, and tonight has been great entertainment. I thought KG bowled a beautiful over, and I don't have any qualms about not batting in the super over. I think the left-right batting combination was the right thing", said the Australian all-rounder.

READ: Rabada's Stunning Super Over & Stoinis' Heroics Help Delhi Clinch The Thriller Vs Punjab