Mumbai fast bowler Tushar Deshpande has had a dream debut for Delhi Capitals in the 30th match of the ongoing IPL 2020 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on 14th October (Wednesday) in Dubai.
The 25-year-old bowler’s final 6 balls sealed the Capitals’ victory, as the debut star finished with impressive figures of 2/37 in his given 4 overs to play a significant role in DC’s 13-runs win over RR to retain the top spot on the IPL 13 points table on Wednesday.
Deshpande took a key wicket of RR’s dangerous batsman Ben Stokes – who was well set as an opener (41 off 33 balls) on his debut which was really special for the pacer especially in the presence of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje as fast bowling partners at the Capitals.
According to Gulf News, Deshpande said after the match: “Yes, the wicket of Stokes was special as he was carrying the match. The pitch was playing slow and when I came back for my second over, my plan was to lure him with a slower ball. He played a false shot and was caught at mid-on and the wicket helped in shifting the momentum towards us.”
The seamer further revealed that he was nervous when he was asked to bowl in second over, replacing experienced Harshal Patel, as he was too close to realizing a dream, but at the end he was delighted to be able to execute his plans against RR in his very first game in the IPL 2020.
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He further explained, “When the captain told me that I would be bowling the second over, I was really excited. With Kagiso Rabada at the other end someone like Nortje in the team, I was given the big responsibility and was a little nervous. However, once I bowled the first ball and managed to hit the right length, I was better. I went for two fours and gave away 11 runs in that over but then, the margin in error is very less in the IPL. I was happy that I could finally execute my plans.”
Deshpande also revealed that he wasn’t aware that he was in the Playing XI until the team went to the stadium but he was ready for the task since he had been the 12th man for the last 3-4 games.
He signed off by saying, “I was kept in the 12 for last three to four matches, so I was mentally prepared. However, I didn’t know if I would be playing even when we were leaving for the ground. It was only in the stadium when Ricky (Ponting) told me that I was in. I was definitely little nervous and restless because I kept thinking that I was too close to realizing a dream now. With us batting first, my nerves settled a bit. It has now sunk in that I have got my IPL cap. However, there’s a lot to improve.”
