Marcus Stoinis was delighted after his all-round effort was integral to Delhi Capitals' (DC) 17-run win in the Qualifier 2 this Sunday (November 8) versus Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Reflective of the level of confidence Stoinis has been able to inspire within the think-tank, including head coach Ricky Ponting, the Australian right-hander was asked to open the innings on the big night in Abu Dhabi.
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He didn't disappoint Ponting again, scoring a brilliant 38 off 27 balls to set-up the foundation to DC's 189/3. The gentle medium-pacer was then magnificent with his change of pace and accuracy as his spell of 3/26 helped restrict SRH to 172/8.
For his performance, Stoinis was also rewarded with the 'Man of the Match' award.
"Have done it in the BBL for a couple of seasons (opening the batting) so it was nice to get an opportunity. Never know what it's going to be like early. There was swing early on. So had a bit of a look at it before having a crack," said the 31-year-old at the post-match presentation, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Crucial to DC's campaign this year, Stoinis has batted at a strike-rate of 149.15 for 352 runs in 16 innings, besides filling-up quite nicely whenever required with the ball.
"Was a really nice wicket. My thought process was to change my grips and see what I was getting out of the wicket and change my tactics with wide yorkers and slower balls," he said of his spell versus DC.
Stoinis is excited about the prospect of turning up for an IPL final on Tuesday (November 10) versus Mumbai Indians (MI). The four-time winners and defending champions beat DC comfortably in the Qualifier 1 and earlier in the competition as well. Stoinis, however, said his team must not let the greatness of the opposition play on their minds.
"Have played quite a bit of IPL, but this is my first final. It's been hard with quarantine but a bit of silverware is good motivation. MI are a very good team. Have played consistently. But they're due an off game. Our best cricket should be good enough to win," he signed off.
