At the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, Gujarat Titans held off the fierce Delhi Capitals batting unit led by Mohammed Shami and Alzarri Joseph for most of the first innings. The Capitals managed to score 162/8 with Rashid Khan making the most impact in the latter half of the innings.
During the powerplay, Mohammed Shami executed his role perfectly and took two wickets, reducing the opposition to 67/2 before Alzarri Joseph took the ball for his second spell.
Joseph’s first over was expensive, conceding 11 runs, but the 26-year-old bounced back strongly in his second over, taking two wickets off consecutive balls and putting Titans back in control.
However, his best was yet to come. On his IPL debut, Bengal wicket-keeper batter Abhishek Porel managed to hit a short and wide delivery from Joseph for a six over third man. This provoked a fierce response from Joseph, who then bowled a short ball that kept climbing towards Porel.
Porel attempted a hook shot but missed the ball and it hit his helmet, causing him to collapse. After a quick concussion check, Porel was declared fit to continue, but the incident highlighted Joseph’s ferociousness and his ability to trouble batters with his raw pace.