The young Delhi Capitals (DC) opener, Prithvi Shaw crushed hopes of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the first over of the chase itself in Match 25 of IPL 2021 in Ahmedabad on Thursday. He smashed 7 fours against Shivam Mavi for 6 boundaries in the first over to signal his intentions in a 155-run chase. DC pulled off the win with more than 3 overs to spare as they have now reached the 2nd spot on the IPL 2021 points table. However, KKR retained their 5th spot despite their 4th defeat in the season.
Prithvi Shaw did not take his foot off the pedal after smashing 24 runs in the first over as he smashed the second-fastest fifty by a Delhi Capitals (DC) batsman as he brought up the landmark in just 18 balls. He smashed 3 sixes and 11 boundaries in his 41-ball 82 as he single-handedly crushed the hopes of the opposition. Shaw took the attack to the two KKR mystery spinners in Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine as he looked unstoppable in the middle.
WATCH – Dinesh Karthik Appeals in Front of Dhawan, Who Gives Hilarious Reaction
Shikhar Dhawan played the perfect anchor role as the openers added 32 runs in just 13.5 overs, their 2nd 100-plus opening stand in IPL 2021. Rishabh Pant gave the finishing touches with an 8-ball 16 but Pat Cummins gave KKR something to cheer towards the end by scalping three wickets.
Once again, Eoin Morgan and the think tank’s decisions came under the scanner as they held back their strike bowler in Cummins until the 6th over. By the time, Cummins came into the attack, DC was cruising at 66 for 0 in 5 overs, deflating the KKR camp.
Earlier in the day, Kolkata Knight Riders huffed and puffed to reach a respectable total of 154 for 6 after being sent into bat. While Nitish Rana and Rahul Tripathi failed to do much at the top, Shubman Gill was looking good for a big knock. However, the pace at which he scored put pressure on the rest of the batsmen, including Eoin Morgan who departed for a silver duck.
WATCH – Prithvi Shaw Smashes Six 4s In First Over
Lalit Yadav, who replaced Amit Mishra in the XI for DC on Thursday, proved the promise shown by the team management as he scalped Morgan and Sunil Narine (0) in the same over. Dinesh Karthik tried to add impetus but he too flattered to deceive after Shubman Gill got out for a 38-ball 43. In the end, it was Andre Russell who fired all cylinders and smashed 433 off 27 balls to help Kolkata post a total in excess of 150.
Here is how Twitterati reacted to DC’s dominating win:
So, enjoyed the Thursday Night Shaw from your home? 😋 #YehHaiNayiDilli #DCvKKR #IPL2021
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 29, 2021
We can all applaud young ⭐️ who has an impact as soon as they play at the highest level & we should. However when one of those stars fall from such heights but find a way back to the top, that shows resilience, the key ingredient!! Glad to see @PrithviShaw in runs again #DCvKKR
— Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93) April 29, 2021
Bowlers ko tod dala phod dala! 🙌
What an innings @PrithviShaw has been playing… phenomenal!#DCvKKR
— Vinod Kambli (@vinodkambli349) April 29, 2021
This one today is a statement. Wow! Speechless. Just sit back and watch. #DCvKKR #IPL2021 https://t.co/M0EfrJ2fYl
— Abhinav Mukund (@mukundabhinav) April 29, 2021
Prithvi Shaw !! 👀👀👀👀
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) April 29, 2021
Prithvi Shaw, with his six fours off Shivam Mavi today, became the first player to smash six boundaries in the first over of a T20 innings. #DCvKKR #IPL2021
— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) April 29, 2021
In boxing parlance, was a knock-out #DCvsKKR
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 29, 2021
DC’s furious assault, led by Shaw’s stunning knock, puts KKR’s inadequacies in perspective. This was a plumb pitch. Par score would have been 180. KKR got 154, let down by the top order, leaving too little for the bowlers to defend
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 29, 2021
Delhi Capitals defeats KKR by 7 wickets. Comprehensive victory by Delhi, a match set knock from Prithvi Shaw sealed the match from them. He scored a brilliant 82 in just 41 balls, also started the Innings with 6 boundaries. Dhawan also scored 46. Cummins picked 3 wickets for KKR.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 29, 2021
#DelhiCapitals beat KKR by 7 wickets, chase down 155 runs from just 16.3 overs – all thanks to Prithvi Shaw with 82 runs from 41 balls and the bowling unit to restrict KKR to an average total.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 29, 2021
