IPL 2021: Missing out in first half was disappointing, says Anrich Nortje

Delhi Capitals speedster Anrich Nortje was adjudged man of the match for his sensational bowling against SunRisers Hyderabad on Wednesday

Delhi Capitals speedster Anrich Nortje who was adjudged man of the match for his sensational bowling against SunRisers Hyderabad on Wednesday stated that he was happy to have a good start to the resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in UAE after missing out on first half of the tournament.

Anrich Nortje brilliant display with the ball was followed by a masterful knock by Shreyas Iyer as Delhi Capitals crushed SunRisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets, chasing the target of 134 in 17.5 overs.

Anrich Nortje (2-12), Kagiso Rabada (3-37), and Axar Patel (2-21) bamboozled the opposition with their pace, accuracy and length. Later, Shreyas Iyer and Shikhar Dhawan played innings of 47 and 42 respectively to take Delhi Capitals home with a victory. DC captain Rishabh Pant also played a crucial quickfire inning of 35* in 21 balls. For SRH, Khaleel Ahmed and Rashid Khan scalped one wicket each.

Anrich Nortje in the post-match presentation said: "Missing out in the first half was disappointing. It was good to have a good start to the tournament for me. Looking at the first game here, it was good to see some grass and then yesterday's big score - didn't know what to expect."

"It was good to keep things simple in the end. Was really happy that I managed to take that early wicket (of Warner). I don't really focus on who I'm getting out, but I'm happy I contributed to the team's win," he added.

Rishabh Pant, the captain of Delhi Capitals said: "We discussed that we had a good first phase, and we are happy to start the second phase this way. We said the same thing about focusing on the process and giving it 100% every day."

"It's a good bowling performance because we thought 150-160 would have been a good total, so 130-something was a good score to restrict them to. We have one of the quickest bowlers in the world so I think they're great assets to have," the wicketkeeper-batter added.

With this victory, Delhi have moved top of the IPL points table, toppling Chennai Super Kings to the second. And the defeat here means SRH hopes of the playoff are now almost dusted as they stay at bottom of the table with one win from eight games.