DC vs SRH, IPL 2019 Eliminator: Shreyas Iyer recalls two overs “of hell” before Capitals beat Sunrisers

Needing 12 runs off 12 balls, DC lost three wickets in 10 balls before Keemo Paul finished the game.

Keeping his nerve through two overs “of hell” was an experience that Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer would not like to endure again, even though at the end of a riveting Eliminator match at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam his team was the one jumping and screaming with joy.

Chasing 163, Capitals – in their first IPL playoff match since 2012 – beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by two wickets with one delivery remaining. From needing 12 runs off 12 deliveries, Capitals lost Sherfane Rutherford, Rishabh Pant and Amit Mishra in the span of 10 deliveries. With two balls left in the match, Keemo Paul pulled left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed to the midwicket boundary for the winning runs.

(FULL SCORECARD: DC vs SRH, IPL 2019 Eliminator)

Wednesday’s two-wicket win over Sunrisers was the first in a playoff match for a Delhi franchise, after the erstwhile Delhi Daredevils lost four semi-finals in 2008 and 2009 and both Qualifiers in 2012.

Iyer’s team will now play defending champions Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 2 on Friday.

“I can’t express my emotions,” said Iyer after the match.”It was such a pressure situation. I was just sitting with my team-mates and it felt as if I’ve been sitting with them for years! Those last two overs it was like hell, to be honest.

(VIDEO: Delhi Capitals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL Eliminator)

“I could see the happiness in everyone’s faces, and it was an amazing feeling to see them coming out and expressing themselves. Obviously the joy we’re going to share after victory is going to be really good. And yes, hoping for another one against Chennai. We’re definitely not going to be intimidated by any team. Looking forward to the next game.”

(READ: Hitting sixes is my muscle memory, next time will finish the game: Rishabh Pant)

Capital’s chase was led by Prithvi Shaw up top, who made 56 off 38 balls, and then Pant who hit 49 from 21 before he mistimed a one-handed shot off Bhuvneshwar Kumar off the second last delivery of the 19th over of the chase.

Asked whether any message was given to Pant and Shaw, Iyer said he did not want to interfere with their natural ways.

“I personally feel they are the sort of batsmen you can’t [try to] control. You just have to leave them on their own and not say anything to them,” he explained. “Because if you say anything, it will play in their minds. When you stop a batsman like Rishabh or Prithvi, if you stop their flow, definitely they are not going to perform up to your expectation. Such situations if they go with their flow, they can win you matches, and it was really amazing to see both of them chipping in today and taking our team through.”