On Thursday at the Wankhede stadium, Delhi’s long wait to profit from Rovman Powell’s power-hitting ability was finally realised.
Despite threatening to pull off a near-impossible feat against Rajasthan Royals in their previous match, he managed to illustrate why he was so highly regarded as a finisher against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Powell’s poor performances throughout the first half of the season did not inspire confidence in an already injury-plagued Delhi Capitals team.
But, just as they were getting back to full health in the batting department, they faltered halfway through a 146-run chase.
Powell came in at a critical time for Delhi, as both David Warner and Lalit Yadav had been dismissed in the space of nine balls. Rishabh Pant was also nicked behind against Umesh Yadav as the match progressed. Delhi’s pursuit was already unravelling at 84/5.
Powell, on the other hand, was a calming presence at the crease. He was on 8 off 9 without a boundary, allowing Axar Patel to take the lead in a short 29-minute stand.
“It was a straightforward circumstance that required you to start playing singles right away. The boundary balls will always come if you get the singles early. It wasn’t a very difficult circumstance. I did a good job with that “
Recalled Powell in a press conference following the game.
“They sent out their best bowlers early in the game in an attempt to get us out. If we don’t get out, you can bet that some impromptu bowlers would show up and bowl.”
Powell, who smashed sixes against Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer at the conclusion of the game, claimed as much.
Edited By:Â Khushi Thakur
Published By:Â Bhavya Dedhia
