Akshar Patel said matches like DC v CSK give a lot of confidence for the knockouts.
The West Indian said he will try to finish as many games as possible for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the ongoing IPL 2021 in the UAE. Hetmyer played an unbeaten knock of 28 runs off just 18 balls to take DC over the line against CSK, as Delhi thrashed Chennai by three wickets with two balls to spare on Monday.
He was elated to be able to finish the job, as moved to the top of the points table with 20 points from 13 games and feels fortunate to survive twice against CSK in the 50th of the ongoing IPL 14 in Dubai.
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Hetmyer told host broadcaster Star Sports: “Very important for me to finish games. I tell the guys that is what I am paid for and I try to finish as many games as possible. I thought I was out (on his dropped catch), and the guy missed it and I was thankful.”
The 24-year-old left-hander further mentioned: “It was just about getting the bat on the ball. The 19th over was the one where I thought I'd try and get a six and bring it down as much as possible. I had enough practice against Dwayne Bravo in the CPL. I knew he would go wide with the field he had and I just looked to go straight down the ground against him. It paid off twice.”
Meanwhile, Akshar Patel, who returned with figures of 2/18, told Star Sports: “It is difficult, but important to assess the lines and the speeds at which we needed to be bowling on this pitch. I thought they were five or ten runs short in the powerplay.”
Patel signed off by saying, “The discussion with Hetmyer was about the lines they'd bowl. He told me that they would bowl wide and he asked me to play straight and look for singles. Such matches give you a lot of confidence in the knockouts.”
Noteworthy, Delhi Capitals will next take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Friday, October 8 at the Dubai International Stadium in the ongoing IPL 2021.
(With ANI Inputs)