Instead of relying on their frontline spin options, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, Delhi Capitals handed a significant portion of the overs to part-time spinner Nitish Rana, a move that raised eyebrows over their overall bowling strategy. The duo of Axar and Kuldeep bowled just four overs combined in the contest, leaving experts surprised at the tactical approach.
“We’ve been sitting there scratching our heads, haven’t we? Your two Indian premier spin bowlers, Axar Patel, the skipper, and Kuldeep Yadav, they bowled four overs between them. A part-time offspinner in Nitish Rana has bowled four overs. To me that makes no sense,” Finch said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Delhi Capitals appeared to avoid using their main spinners against the left-handed duo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, possibly due to the match-up concerns, as both Axar and Kuldeep generally turn the ball into left-handers.
However, Finch was not convinced by the decision and questioned Axar’s confidence and intent in pressure situations.
“The fact that he doesn’t trust himself to execute under pressure and to defend against left-handers… to me that says more about his attitude than anything else,” Finch added.
The match itself saw a dominant performance from Abhishek Sharma, who smashed an unbeaten 135 off 68 balls to power Sunrisers Hyderabad to a massive 242/2. Delhi Capitals fell short in the chase, losing by 47
