So that's all we had to offer tonight. Get yourself charged up for the doubleheaders tomorrow and day after tomorrow. Big games coming up. So good night and get urself up and going for the next two days. Till the next time, tata and good night from me, Arya Sekhar Chakraborty and my co-commentator Akshay Bhide. Stay tuned for an intense weekend.
What a performance from DC tonight. Despite posting a relatively below par score after batting first, their bowlers did a commendable job and showed that even 185 can be defended in Sharjah. Shimron Hetmyer and Marcus Stoinis was quite brilliant with the bat. Kagiso Rabada with the ball and in the field was astonishing and those two catches of Shimron Hetmyer summed up a beautiful day for DC, Harshal Patel's performance got overshadowed but he did a fine job especially with the bat at a crucial juncture of the match and his contributions mattered in the end.
R Ashwin, Man of the Match: One of the important things about this attack is that most of the bowlers can bowl at any time. I know my role comes up when the game is nicely poised. An over where a wicket is needed or the pressure is up. You have to be brave at that time and put your hand up. Today the ball was soaking well, and the sweat didn't help much.
Shreyas Iyer: I a really happy with the way we came out after first innings. We thought this might be an under-par total but the bowlers did their job. The wicket did surprise us a little bit because we thought it would quicken up with the dew. I am really happy with the way the bowlers execute their plans. I am also really happy with the support staff who prepare us so well. We have to be consistent with out approach. That should be our mindset, and not take anything lightly."
Shimron Hetmyer: I was working a lot on it during practice. Dropped a few during the CSK game, so I went back and did a lot of work on my catching. It travels a lot here, so I backed myself and gave it my all while taking it. (On whether his hairstyle helps him to dive) It’s a possibility maybe! (laughs) It felt good to hit a few properly, just doing good work in the nets and glad that it paid off today. We’re not trying to think too far ahead, just taking it one game at a time.
Steven Smith | RR (losing) captain: We are not playing good enough over the 40 overs, and not executing when the pressure is coming on and you can't win many games that way. The bowlers did a good job, and I don't think the wicket was as good as it has been here, a bit stoppy tonight, and we gave away 10-15 extra runs. We have to remain positive, turn things around quickly. At the moment it doesn't seem to be going our way. I'm not batting too well either. I did feel good tonight with the bat but didn't get hold of one that I feel like I should have. Stokes hasn't had a lot of practice, he gets out of quarantine tomorrow, so we'll see if he plays the day after tomorrow.
Jofra Archer is the Cred Powerplayer of the Match.
Shimron Hetmyer gets the Unacademy Lets Crack it Sixes Award
Prithvi Shaw is the Altros Super Striker of the Match
Marcus Stoinis is the Dream11 game changer of the match