Avesh Khan impressed one and all with his bowling during Delhi Capitals’ (DC) IPL 2021 opener against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Mumbai on Saturday (April 10).
The right-arm pacer claimed two wickets by conceding 23 runs in his four overs and MS Dhoni was one of his victims. He bowled a quick wide ball to the CSK skipper, who dragged it on to the stumps.
Reflecting on his performance, Avesh said it was his dream to pick Dhoni’s wicket after missing out on an opportunity in 2018 and he is elated to fulfill it this time around.
“Three years ago Mahi bhai’s (MS Dhoni) catch was dropped. Mahi bhai’s wicket is my dream wicket, and now three years later I’ve fulfilled that dream and I’m very happy about it. It’s also that he hasn’t played cricket in a while, he hasn’t been playing matches, so our plan was to initially maintain pressure on him, and I got the wicket because of the pressure,” quoted Avesh in a video shared by Delhi Capitals.
Avesh Khan lived up to the expectations of DC management as he earlier dismissed Faf du Plessis –one of the top performers for CSK in last year’s IPL.
The 24-year-old also spoke about the sacrifices he had to make to get himself in a better shape.
"I have reduced my weight by 5 kg. I have hired a personal dietician and I plan my diet according to the dietician's directions. My diet plan changes on a day-to-day basis, depending on my gym and training sessions and rest days. Improving my fitness has helped me a lot. I am feeling light, and I feel great when I run. I had to sacrifice some of my favourite dishes for 20-25 days, but that has helped me to stay on track for achieving some of my personal goals," Avesh remarked.
Delhi Capitals started his IPL 2021 campaign on a winning note, defeating Chennai Super Kings by 7 wickets at the Wankhede Stadium.
Asked to bat first, CSK posted 188/7 in 20 overs on the back of Suresh Raina’s 36-ball 54. Moeen Ali (36 off 24 balls), Sam Curran (34 off 15 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (26* off 17 balls) also made notable contributors with the bat.
In reply, DC rode on Shikhar Dhawan’s 54-ball 85 and Prithvi Shaw’s 38-ball 72 to overhaul the target with 8 balls to spare.
Delhi Capitals will take on Rajasthan Royals in their next game on April 15 at the Wankhede Stadium.
