IPL 2020: Axar Patel is consistent and clear in his plans, says Nortje
Delhi Capitals' pacer Anrich Nortje has said that spinner Axar Patel is consistent and very clear in his plans which is the main reason why batsmen tend to struggle against him.
His remark came as Delhi Capitals defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 44 runs at the Dubai International Stadium in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi defended a total of 175 as the side restricted CSK to just 131/7. Axar Patel once again dismissed CSK's Shane Watson and with this, the spinner dismissed the Australian for the sixth time in the IPL.
"I just think Axar is pretty consistent, he is an awesome bowler and especially it's nice to be able to use him in the powerplay, he is very clear in his plans and maybe that's what makes Watson struggle against him," said Nortje during the post-match press conference.
Put in to bat first against CSK, Delhi managed to post a total of 175/3 in the allotted twenty overs, owing to Prithvi Shaw's innings of 64 runs. Wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant also played an unbeaten knock of 37 runs.
The side had suffered a batting collapse in their first match against Kings XI Punjab, but against CSK, Iyer-led Delhi was a bit cautious in the first six overs to not lose wickets in a cluster.
"After the match against Kings XI Punjab, we just said to each other that we need to assess things a little better and the boys clearly showed that in the match against Chennai. They played really well at the front and we were able to build partnerships," said Nortje.
"After the first game, we just needed to assess the things a little better, the boys assessed the conditions very well, once they started to get the feel of it, they were able to accelerate," he added.
Defending 175, Delhi was on top throughout the game as the side kept on taking wickets at regular intervals. Kagiso Rabada scalped three wickets while Nortje picked up two wickets.
When asked whether the Dubai wicket got slower during the course of the match, Nortje replied: "It was skidding a bit later on, I wouldn't say it slowed down, but I feel it quickened up a bit, it was a little stickier at the start, when we were bowling there was a little dew so that made the ball skid on, it might have quickened up."
Delhi Capitals has now won their opening two matches of this year's IPL and the side will next lock horns with SunRisers Hyderabad on Tuesday, September 29 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
(ANI)
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