New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson once again showed why he is rated among the very best in the world after his fighting knock against the Delhi Capitals. Williamson carried his bat through the run-chase and remained unbeaten on 66 of 51 deliveries as the match ended in a tie. Eventually, the Delhi Capitals scraped through a victory in the final delivery of the super over.
It was indeed a special innings from Williamson. When he came into the crease, SRH had just lost the wickets of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow and needed someone to steady the ship. He played the situation to perfection and just when his team needed the boundaries he provided them with some shots which oozed class and clarity.
However, his efforts weren’t enough as SRH couldn’t get past the target. Williamson was the captain of New Zealand when they lost the 2019 World Cup final by the barest of margins. The tied match was followed by a tied super over with England scraping through by the virtue of scoring more boundaries.
"I am getting tired of coming second in the Super Overs," Williamson said at the post-match press conference.
"Throughout the game, whenever there is a Super Over, as a batting side chasing a score that was very competitive, there are a lot of positives to take out of it."
"It is really uncanny in game of cricket that things can end in a tie but I suppose it is very, very exciting. A lot of positives, we move on really quickly to Delhi," he added.
Cricket is a game of very small margins and the match between SRH and DC exactly resembled that. Williamson played some delightful shots en route to his knock of 66. His wide array of shots were out in the display as he weaved his magic with the bat.
"It is a game of very small margins and I think, if we are being honest, we just want to do different aspects of our game a bit better. This game, if you are able to do it, then the result can change quite quickly." Williamson said.
"I suppose when it ends in a tie, you can look at the one run throughout the whole innings. I think, on the whole, a lot of positives," he further added.
Riding on the back of a sensational half-century from opener Prithvi Shaw and some able support by skipper Rishabh Pant, Delhi Capitals reached a competitive score of 159 in their allotted 20 overs. On a relatively difficult Cheapuk pitch the target never seemed easy.
The match looked like going in DC’s favour until Williamson and Jagadeesh Suchith changed the complexion of the match with their hitting prowess in the last two overs. Williamson said that it was a good feeling to be there till the end but he would have been happier had he managed to get his side over the finishing line.
"It was nice to be there at the end, it would have been a lot nicer if I was there at the end and we were at the right side of the result. You know there were a lot of valuable partnerships in the innings and we lacked a bit of momentum because that was the nature of the surface." Williamson spoke about the conditions at Chepauk.
"We got very close, some positives to build on. We do not know how the surfaces will be in Delhi," the Kiwi skipper stated about their next league in the league.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad are currently occupying the 7th position just ahead of the Kolkata Knight Riders. With 5 matches under their belt, the Orange Army has just managed to win a solitary match. They will next play against the Chennai Super Kings on 28th April at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.