Balance is the name of the game. And if you have someone of Mitchell Marsh’s caliber in your team, Marsh is that ultimate master key. The trouble for Delhi Capitals, prior to Saturday’s clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad, was Marsh being a shadow of what we saw during the home series just before IPL got underway.
0, 4, 0, 2 and 25 – Marsh’s scores this season. And with the ball – just three wickets and a grand total of 9.1 overs.
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Cut to Saturday, DC’s fourth home game, in search of their 3rd win in 8 games, against SRH, Marsh finally stood tall and DC had some hope.
Not to say Marsh masked all that is wrong with the DC unit because they have a lot of issues, quite a lot actually — but still, what head coach Ricky Ponting hoped from his overseas stars – he got it from Marsh and Phil Salt, at least.
The fact that two of their overseas players starred with the bat and scored 50-plus each at a fair clip, and still DC found themselves at the losing end speaks volumes of tactical mismanagement by someone who is regarded as one of the shrewdest in the game – and no, not talking about the Prince of Kolkata here.
Back to Marsh though.
After SRH opted to bat first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in front of what could very well be described a rather flailing home crowd, Marsh provided the first big ‘roar moment’ when he had Rahul Tripathi flat-batting a 119 kmph short one to Manish Pandey at extra cover. Job done for David Warner and Marsh’s second spell came in the 10th over only.
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With Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram running away with the game, Warner opted to go the Marsh way for wickets and Marsh obliged- with two – and a double wicket-maiden at that.
A back of length delivery and SRH skipper Markram swipes but Axar Patel intercepts it at deep midwicket.
A ball later, Riyan Parag … oops… ‘Riyan Parag with a hundred in IPL’ (read Harry Brook) swipes another back of length delivery and Axar this time at short midwicket, pouches another.
Despite Marsh’s three, SRH had a decent score on the board and even though Marsh went on to add Abdul Samad’s wicket and finished with 4-1-27-4 at an economy of 6.75, SRH managed a healthy, rather, a very good total of 197 on the Delhi track.
Ishant Sharma went at 10.33, Anrich Nortje at 11, Mukesh Kumar at 19 and even Kuldeep Yadav at 9. Only support Marsh got was from Axar (7.25).
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On to the chase.
Warner was out – foxed by the wily Bhuvneshwar Kumar – the two veterans, heavyweights – almost on their last legs – and it was Bhuvi who got the better of his former SRH captain.
In walks Marsh, and six ball into his innings he launches a flat pull straight off Akeal Hossain in to the SRH dug out. With Salt, Marsh has the DC innings up and running and in no time both took DC to 105/1 in 10 overs. 93 off 60 with two big hitters in, this was DC’s game to lose and lose they did, royally.
During his innings, Marsh stood his ground to meet the fuller ones with the full face of his bat and slightly shorter ones he pulled with aplomb. The official broadcasters even had a compilation of Marsh’s pull on replay – it was that good – but too good to be true.
DC’s frailties were waiting to be exposed and that happened when Mayank Markande – a rejuvenated bowler this season – had Salt walking back courtesy of a superb return catch.
That was the opening SRH needed – and they capitalised. Manish Pandey walked in, was stumped; Sarfaraz walked in, was cleaned up; Priyam Garg, poor lad showed up and dragged one onto his stumps.
And in this madness, Marsh skied one off Hosein after hitting a beautiful tee shot for six a ball prior. The Aussie walked back making 63 off 39 and looked, really good till the time he was in the middle, so did DC.
Axar came in the 17th over only, made 29* off 14 to reduce the margin of defeat to 9 runs but like the flailing crowd at the venue would know – the game was lost by a bigger margin, long time back.
But, if there is one takeaway for the DC fans this Saturday, that would be Marsh standing tall, for all what it was worth.
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