Despite Delhi Capitals’ sloppy display in the field and injury to lead pacer Ishant Sharma, Abishek Porel’s scintillating cameo was a big positive for the team, assistant coach Pravin Amre said after the loss to Punjab Kings here on Saturday.
DC brought in Porel as an Impact Substitute in the death overs after the other batters failed to get going. The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter smashed an unbeaten 32 off 10 balls to help his side post 174/9.
However, the total was not enough as DC suffered a four-wicket loss in its IPL 2024 opener.
“Not the start we wanted, every team wants to start on a winning note. But there are a lot of positives from the game, our intent in batting was good. We were in a good position, then back-to-back wickets in the middle overs cost us but we came back.
“We can also see the positive about Abishek Porel, the guy who came in and scored runs at a strike rate of more than 300 (320). He got us to the par score of 170-plus,” Amre said.
PBKS vs DC Report | Curran, Livingstone help Punjab Kings thrash Delhi Capitals
DC was also dealt a major blow as its pace spearhead Ishant sustained an ankle injury. To add to their woes, the Capitals were also guilty of dropping as many as three catches including that of Sam Curran, who went on to score a match-winning 63.
“In the bowling, I think Ishant’s injury cost us and we all know catches win matches. We dropped a couple of crucial catches and maybe the outcome would have been different. When you lose your main bowler, it becomes difficult to contain them (opponents), but you have to credit Sam and Liam (Livingstone) for the way they batted and finished the game.”
The match marked skipper Rishabh Pant’s comeback to cricket after 15 months following a horrific car crash.
“Sometimes as coaches, we don’t get emotional, but this was emotional. Personally, it was special because I have closely seen his journey since his initial days at DC.
“We are really happy with the way he conducted himself, it’s not easy after a 14-month comeback and handling that kind of pressure.”
The Capitals will take on Rajasthan Royals next on March 28.
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