When facing Rohit Sharma, it’s best not to bowl short, as Nortje just learned the hard way. Sharma expertly rocks back in the crease, quickly assumes the right position, and effortlessly sends the ball soaring over deep square leg for a magnificent six.
It was one of the most impressive shots of the night, and Sharma is now close to reaching his fifty in the IPL after a prolonged drought. In fact, it’s been around 24 innings since he last achieved this milestone.
DC’s chances were dented by losing five wickets in the last ten balls of the innings, possibly causing a difference of 10-20 runs. This outcome may prove critical as DC was bowled out within the allotted overs. Although Shaw played a few decent shots, he was dismissed easily, while Pandey took risks and scored some boundaries before departing.
Warner, in excellent form, kept the scoreboard moving, but DC then lost three wickets quickly, thanks to Chawla’s superb bowling. Axar’s fluent and impressive fifty proved to be a turning point for the hosts.
Warner couldn’t increase the tempo as desired, and Behrendorff’s four-wicket haul in the 19th over changed the momentum once again. The pitch has some variations in pace, but the shorter boundaries balance it out.