Delhi’s Shaw shines before Lucknow apply brakes!

DC opener Prithvi Shaw en route his 61 against LSG. Pic/PTI

Prithvi Shaw lit up the DY Patil Stadium with his audacious strokeplay before Lucknow Super Giants applied the brakes on the Delhi Capitals run spree in an IPL-15 contest on Thursday. Shaw drove, pulled and cut his way to a pulsating 61 off just 34 balls, two sixes and nine fours adorning it, and totally dominated the first-wicket partnership of 67 in 7.3 overs. Australian David Warner (4), in his first game of the season, was a meek spectator at the other end. Capitals finished on 149 for 3.

At the time of going to press, Lucknow Super Giants were 45-0 after five overs. Earlier, Shaw, 22, who reached his 50 off just 30 balls and helped the Capitals to a flying start of 40 off four overs, was dismissed on the cut stroke in the 8th over and the Capitals run rate dropped once he left the scene. The diminutive opener struck a six each off Jason Holder and off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham to whom he finally fell, besides striking nine other fours, all off the meat, barring one outside edge off Gowtham.

DC skipper Rishabh Pant slams one during his 39 not out v LSG. Pic/PTI

However, Gowtham, who replaced Karnataka teammate Manish Pandey in the playing XI, got his revenge by coming round the wicket and angling the ball away from Shaw, who shaped for a cut shot, but only managed to edge it to ‘keeper Quinton de Kock. After the cheap dismissals by wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi of Warner and one-down Rovman Powell (3), captain Rishabh Pant, who made an unbeaten 39 in 36 balls, and Sarfaraz Khan (36 not out) - in his first outing of the season - put on 75 runs for the fourth wicket.

Pant hit Andrew Tye for two straight sixes and a four in the 16th over to provide some late momentum as the Capitals added 50 runs in the last five overs. Sarfaraz followed suit in the next over with a couple of boundaries off Avesh Khan, who was expensive as compared to his career-best 4-24 against SRH and gave away 32 runs in three. Bishnoi was the pick of the attack with 2-22 while Gowtham improved after his first over to grab 1-23.