The ball was flying well in a recent Indian Premier League match between the Delhi Daredevils and the Kolkata Knight Riders, when the Daredevils won by 55 runs.
The final score was 4/219 to 9/164 in the Daredevils’ favour.
New Daredevils Captain Shreyas Iyer, eager to provide evidence of his worthiness to be elevated to the captaincy, produces an unbeaten 93 off 40 balls. Iyer ascended to the position after Gautam Gambhir stepped down after Delhi had lost five of its first six games of the 2018 IPL fixture.
Iyer is just 23, young for a captain at the IPL level, but he smashed 10 sixes and three fours as his contribution to his side posting the highest total of the year in IPL play.
The top scorer for Kolkata was Andre Russell, as the top order was extremely shaky and could do no better than 3-33.
Newcomer Prithvi Shaw, playing just his second IPL game, provided the Daredevils with a strong 62 off 44 that included two sixes and seven fours.
Afterward, Captain Iyer told reporters, “A great feeling, especially when you’re leading for the first time,” Iyer said. “It was really a nice toss to lose, because we were going to bowl first. Batting gave us freedom to express ourselves.”
Iyer and Glenn Maxwell’s partnership of 73 runs off 31 balls was the main contributor from taking the game away from Kolkata.
Iyer was particularly difficult for Kolkata fast bowler Shivan Mavi. Iyer hit six sixes and a four off Mavi.
The play of Kolkata fielder Robin Uthappa should have caught a six Iyer hit to reach 50, but the ball went right through his hands at the boundary.
It was the fourth loss for Kolkata, and no one expected them to be able to chase down the big target set by the Daredevils.
“It was a big target,” Kolkata captain Dinesh Karthik said.“When Russell bats, it always gives us hope. But he’s a human, and we need to raise our hands and say we didn’t play well today.”
