Prithvi is a phenomenal talent, says Ashwin

“In the last match, Chennai won chasing and we thought the dew will play a major role in the second innings. But there was no dew at all."

Hyderabad: A young Delhi Capitals side has been on rampage in the season and they produced yet another clinical performance to thrash Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore by 59 runs on Monday to top the table.

Capitals’ senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was delighted after the victory and said they have a strong bench they can go to. “We have got a pretty good side and everyone was putting their hands up. The biggest positive is there is a lot of room for improvement and we will get there at the back of the tournament. We have a strong bench. When I dislocated my shoulder Amit Mishra came in and when he was injured Axar came in and played a key role. So there is enough strength on the bench. Sometimes the bench people become very important and the players on the bench can become another IPL team.”

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Speaking about Amit Mishra, who fractured his finger and ruled out of IPL, he said, “I think Amit will be missed dearly and he is the legend in the IPL. Moving forward we will definitely try our best to keep him happy at home.”

He also lauded Axar Patel and Prithvi Shaw who played crucial roles in the victory but go unrecognised. “Sometimes what happens in T20s is we tend to blow up numbers on purple and orange caps. But it is like football where everyone plays their role and Axar is someone like that. He always goes under the radar. He bowls those good overs and builds the pressure for others to get wickets. These are the heroes that get appreciated in the dressing room and (Ricky) Ponting is particular about it.”

Prithvi Shaw, who struck a fine 42 from 23 and provided a brilliant start, was also in for praise. “Prithvi (Shaw) is a phenomenal talent. Sometimes we need not talk about technique and I feel it is over rated. Everyone has their technique. When Prithvi hits the ball, the ball makes a lovely sound on the bat. He has been hitting the ball very well in the last few games.” He also heaped praises on Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis who has been contributing immensely for their side.

Meanwhile, RCB’s AB de Villiers said they were slow to adapt to the conditions and let crucial catches slip that made the difference in the end. “196 was definitely over par. You have to give them credit, they started very well in the first six overs. We were a little bit slow to adapt to the conditions. We pulled it back nicely in the middle and got opportunities to put them under pressure. We dropped a couple of catches that cost us 20-30 runs and that made the difference.”

He also defended the decision to bowl after winning the toss. “In the last match, Chennai won chasing and we thought the dew will play a major role in the second innings. But there was no dew at all. But there is no excuse. We didn’t bat well and failed to string any partnership. They played well and a better team won in the day,” he added.