After struggling with his willow for a while, star batter Prithvi Shaw finally made a terrific return for Delhi Capitals on Wednesday. The Delhi opener was out of the team for the last six games after a chain of low scores but then he made a fantastic comeback against Punjab Kings, scoring 54 runs off 38 balls, and provided a solid start to Delhi Capitals alongside captain David Warner.
The Mumbai-based batter who smashed 7 boundaries and a six, spoke at the mid-innings break and said it was his hard work that helped him score this fifty.
"It happened after a long time but you have to work hard for it. Happy that it came," Shaw said.
"It hurts you know. When someone is bowling at that pace, it hurts. But I'll be fine. It is a very good score, to be honest. It is not easy to bat in the powerplay as the ball is seaming. Once the powerplay is done, it becomes easier to bat. Maybe we will use some slower deliveries while bowling," Shaw concluded.
Apart from Shaw’s heroics with the bat, left-hander Rilee Rossouw also knocked 82* off 47 balls. As a result, Delhi Capitals posted 213/2 in 20 overs vs Punjab which was their highest total in the tournament.
In reply, Punjab Kings had a lousy start with Ishant Sharma getting rid of the skipper for a golden duck. Batters like Atharva Taide and Prabhsimran Singh did try to put up a fightback as both added 50 runs off 33 balls while Livingstone and Taide added 78 off 50 balls but it was not enough.
For Delhi Capitals, Anrich Nortje (2/36) from his 4 overs, Ishant Sharma (2/36 ) and Khaleel Ahmed (1/20) were the stars with the ball and helped Delhi Capitals defeat Punjab Kings by 15 runs.