Key Points
Starc's 5-35 highlights DC's bowling
Faf du Plessis scores 50 at strike-rate of 185.19
Axar Patel praised for excellent captaincy
Porel appreciates Rahul’s support and advice
At the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on Sunday, veteran left-arm pacer Starc picked an incredible 5-35 to help DC bowl out SRH for 163 in their 18.4 overs. He found great support in Kuldeep Yadav and Mohit Sharma taking 3-22 and 1-25 respectively.
In the chase, DC vice-captain Faf du Plessis was at his glorious best to hit three fours and as many sixes in his solid 27-ball half-century coming at a strike-rate of 185.19. He was well-supported by Jake Fraser-McGurk (38), KL Rahul (15), Porel (34 not out) and Tristan Stubbs (21 not out) as DC completed the chase with four overs to spare to sign off from the Visakhapatnam home leg with two out of two wins.
“It was a great team effort and everyone made the contributions. (Mitchell) Starc bowled really well and after that Faf (du Plessis) batted really well. He has been doing a good job for us. Jake Fraser-McGurk took his time but he paced his innings really well and later, Tristan Stubbs made a good contribution and we eventually won the game," said Porel in the post-match press conference.
He also talked about how his experience has been of playing under Axar, who is leading DC in his first season as their full-time captain. “Off the field, Axar is very funny and on the field, he is a very motivated guy. He has been leading the side very well. Overall, the captaincy has been really good,” he added.
Asked about his conversations with fellow wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, who played his first game for the franchise, Porel revealed, “KL Rahul has always been an elder brother to me. He in fact consoled me when I dropped the catch and further encouraged me to focus on batting and play my strokes. He really backed me.”
Delhi Capitals will next face five-time champions, the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on April 5.
