Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Shikhar Dhawan credited his opening partner Prithvi Shaw for his success after the duo helped their side defeat Punjab Kings (PBKS) in an IPL 2021 encounter.
Chasing the target of 167 runs against Punjab Kings in their eighth match of IPL 14, the Delhi Capitals' openers yet again made sure that their team went off the flyer.
The duo stitched 63 runs for the opening partnership and made sure that the team didn’t lose any wicket in the mandatory 6-over power play. After the wicket of Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan led the charge and carried his bat throughout the innings.
The veteran opener remained not out on 67 runs and along with Shimron Hetymer, who came in at No.5 and found a few quick boundaries, won the match for his side with 14 balls to spare.
Talking about his performance, DC opener Shikhar Dhawan said that he enjoyed the chase as he along with Prithvi Shaw had a great start. He added that they wanted to finish the game early.
“Really happy with the way we chased the score down. Prithvi and myself were able to get a great start. Smith chipped in nicely and I knew I had to go till the end. Perfectly crafted innings, I enjoyed it.
"Once we knew that we can close the game, we wanted to finish the game early around 19 overs, but Hetmyer finished it on the 18th. He’s been amazing with the way he has been striking. Good to up the strike rate. Both runs and strike rate are important,” Shikhar Dhawan said.
Dhawan said that his batting approach will depend on the type of pitch. He further credited Prithvi Shaw for his success and said that the latter makes batting easy for him.
”I have to respect the wicket. So the approach will depend on the pitch. I have been playing with Prithvi for three years now and he makes it easy for me as well,” he said.
Shikhar Dhawan is currently the Orange Cap holder for the most runs in the ongoing IPL 2021.
The veteran opener has amassed 380 runs in the eight games so far and Rishabh Pant-led side will hope that southpaw to carry his golden form as he would be crucial to their chances going ahead into the tournament.
(NEWS 18 Inputs)
