'Openers hunting in pair': Kaif lauds Shaw and Dhawan

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 11 (ANI): Delhi Capitals' assistant coach Mohammad Kaif on Sunday hailed Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan for their performance against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw played knocks of 85 and 72 respectively to help Delhi Capitals chase down the target of 189 runs, set by the Dhoni-led team on Saturday here at the Wankhede Stadium.
The victory must have been very special for Rishabh Pant as it was his first game as Delhi Capitals' captain.
"Missing Shreyas, Axar, Rabada, and Nortje but boy did we miss Prithvi in this kind of form. Gabbar tussi great ho! Openers hunting in pairs along with a solid start for the bowlers and captain Pant," tweeted Kaif.
Head coach Ricky Ponting also took to Twitter to congratulate Delhi Capitals on winning the match against CSK.
"Brilliant start last night for us. Thrilled for @PrithviShaw and his innings, as well as @SDhawan25 picking up where he left off last season. A great base to build from. #IPL2021," tweeted Ponting.
Delhi Capitals got off to a fantastic start in the IPL 2021 with a seven-wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings. Opening batsman Shaw was in the thick of things as he blasted his way to 38-ball 72-run innings, helping his team chase down a target of 189 runs with 8 balls to spare.
"Very happy with the way I batted. Everyone executed whatever we practiced in the last few days. It was brilliant to see everyone contributing to the team. The opening stand which we got was very crucial for us. Chasing 190 odd is not easy without a good start. It was a great win for us; however, I should have stayed in the middle until the end. So, if I have to rate my innings out of 10, I will give an 8 to myself," Shaw said in the Delhi Capitals release.
The 21-year-old, who scored a whopping 827 runs in 8 matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, spoke about how he got back into form before the IPL 2021.
"I made some small changes in my batting before the IPL. I just wanted to minimise all the mistakes I was making, and I worked hard. I practiced for two weeks with Strength and Conditioning Coach Rajinikanth Sivagnanam sir and Pravin Amre sir before the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Then I just played my natural game with a few changes in the Vijay Hazare Trophy."
The opening batsman expressed that he worked out his technical errors with Rajinikanth Sivagnanam and Pravin Amre and speaks to the head coach Ricky Ponting more about tactics as a batsman.
"With Ricky, I generally speak to him about tactics and strategies as a batsman. He has played so much of cricket and he has got the experience which he can share with us and he does especially with the youngsters. I am really enjoying working with him," Shaw said.
When asked about the newly appointed skipper Rishabh Pant's captaincy, he said, "We really miss Shreyas Iyer, and he led the team very well. However, Rishabh Pant is very smart. He is fearless and enjoys the game. He's very entertaining on the field and is very cool and calm as a Captain. He's doing a fantastic job for the team." (ANI)