Pravin Amre, the assistant coach of Delhi Capitals, applauded debutant Jake Fraser-McGurk for playing a stunning knock as the team hit back after two successive defeats with a comfortable win over Lucknow Super Giants to vacate the bottom place as well. Chasing 168 for win, the Delhi Capitals needed only 18.1 overs to win, thanks to a 77-run association between Fraser-McGurk (55 off 35) and captain Rishabh Pant (41 off 24) as well.
“It was a tremendous innings from Jake,” said Amre at the post-match press conference on Friday (April 13). “He was batting very well in the nets and we could see that he had the x-factor, he had that ability to strike the sixes. If you see his innings, he got five sixes and his first two scoring shots were sixes. That’s what we want in this format. We were doing well in the last two games but were not crossing the line. That’s why we wanted someone to have an impact on the game and I think he delivered.”
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“Jake is a top-order batter. We have Warner there and Shai Hope batted well for us in the first match (at No.3) and became injured after that. We knew he would get an opportunity and he got that today and grabbed it with both hands. For any good talent it is important to show that in the middle and there is a lot of difference between doing well in the nets and performing in the match. And I’m very happy that the kind of batting that is required for this format, he showed just that,” he again shared.
Pravin Amre also lauded Kuldeep Yadav’s performance which helped DC restrict LSG after they had made a good start as well. He was also impressed with the dismissal of Nicholas Pooran as well.
“The way Kuldeep bowled today and delivered a dream ball to Nicholas Pooran…he is a match-winning batter and getting him out was crucial to restrict them to 160 (167). Yes, Badoni scored a 31-ball fifty but that impact from 160 to 190, that margin was reduced (thanks to Kuldeep) and we controlled the game. I also think Axar [Patel’s] role was important, and we were able to have a good period in the middle overs. They had a good powerplay and after that we controlled the game. Credit goes to our spin department,” said Amre.
“The season did not start well for me. (But) I was very motivated because I was batting well in the nets. I was just backing myself to play an impactful innings, which happened today. I’m thankful to KL Rahul and Justin Langer for backing me and giving me a chance,” said Badoni. “When I went out to bat I was thinking of taking it to the end and then attack. If we play 20 overs then 150-plus was a possibility. Eventually we made 160-plus…(but) we were 20 runs short,” he concluded.
