Catches win matches. After Saturday's epic contest between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag was in no mood to keep it that simple. He said batting is not the only task expected of a batter. If you are on the ground, you should take catches and run opposition players out, he said.
The swashbuckling batter, who represented both Delhi and Punjab in the IPL during his playing years, aimed his criticism at Delhi Capitals star Karun Nair. Brought on as a substitute after KL Rahul left the field, Karun Nair dropped opposition captain Shreyas Iyer twice, arguably gifting the match to Punjab.
KL Rahul hammered a sensational 152 not out as DC piled up what was briefly the season's highest total, yet Punjab Kings cruised to a six-wicket victory. Nitish Rana (91) batted with authority alongside his skipper as the duo powered hosts Delhi Capitals to a mammoth 264–2 after opting to bat first. Chasing the target, Punjab's dynamic opening pair of Prabhsimran Singh (76) and Priyansh Arya (43) came out all guns blazing, adding 126 runs in just 42 balls to lay a formidable foundation for the chase and set the tone for their sixth win of the season.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer, who was dropped by Karun Nair twice in the span of three balls, then scored an unbeaten 71 off 36 deliveries to take PBKS over the line with as many as seven balls to spare.
In all, 529 runs were plundered in 38.5 overs in a remarkable exhibition of T20 batting, with a combined 33 sixes clearing the ropes at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Karun Nair’s leaky hands
Iyer was yet to hit top gear when he was given a couple of lifelines in the fifteenth and sixteenth overs by Karun Nair. As per Sehwag, when he was brought on with the sole objective of fielding well, it was inexcusable for a seasoned player to drop Iyer not once but twice.
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“It is just not acceptable. Firstly, you are not getting matches. And now when you have a chance as a fielder, at least do some fielding. If you drop catches even there, then the captain will think that since he dropped catches, let us not pick him. All of this happens. Just because you are a batter, batting is not your only job. Picking catches and completing run-outs are also your jobs,” Sehwag was quoted as telling Cricbuzz.
There is a difference between an indispensable player of the squad dropping catches and somebody brought on as a substitute committing the same mistake. “Sorry to say, but Karun Nair, you came in just to field, dropped two catches, and because of those two drops, you lost the game. If I am the captain, and he is a very important player, and drops two catches, I can ignore that. But if he is not in the playing XI, and asks me for a chance, I will say that you are not playing because of the dropped catches. He will not have any answer for that,” he further said.
Sixth-placed DC are up against defending champions RCB next on Monday.
