Gujarat Titans' New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson may not steam in like former Kiwi expressman Shane Bond or possess the rhythmic run-up ex-South African pacer Dale Steyn had.
His run-up, a gentle amble to the crease, belies the speed at which he going to deliver the ball. What he brings to the mix is a mean bouncer and a quick off-cutter, which on Saturday led to the undoing of Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant and allrounder Axar Patel at Pune's Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) stadium.
The two wickets Ferguson took in the 15th over had a profound impact. In pursuit of the Titans' 171, Capitals ended 14 runs short, giving the debutants an unbeaten start to their maiden IPL campaign. Ferguson ended with figures of 4/28 off his four overs. Ferguson had enjoyed another double strike earlier in the fourth over, getting rid of dangerous opener Prithvi Shaw and Mandeep Singh.
An astute Pandya brought Ferguson back in the 15th over with the match evenly poised, and the New Zealander's second double strike sealed the issue. Pant and Lalit Yadav had resurrected the Capitals' innings from 34/3 with a 61-run fourth-wicket stand before the latter was run-out looking for a non-existent single.
Earlier, asked to bat first, Titans opener Shubman Gill displayed his range of shots in a superbly-composed innings of 84 to take them to 171/6 on a pitch where other batters found it hard to time the ball. The range of shots were mostly on display after the initial 10 overs, the period during which the Capitals had kept the Titans on a leash through some fine bowling and smart captaincy and field placement from Pant.
Capitals drew first blood by having Titans' Australian opener Mathew Wade caught for one when the latter attempted a lap over Pant's head off Mustafizur Rahman's bowling, but only managed to tickle it behind. The initial not-out decision was overturned on review.
The dismissal brought Vijay Shankar to the crease, and his painstaking innings of 13, comprising inside edges and thick edges to square leg, was ended by left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. The latter found enough turn to bowl Shankar, who had attempted a slog sweep. Pandya, who came in next, could have been caught off the second ball he faced as the outside edge off Yadav's bowling evaded the lone slip. Both Gill and Pandya found the initial going tough amidst some incisive bowling from left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed and Yadav. The first 10 overs yielded only 66 runs.
Gill, whose fifty came off 32 balls, hit two sixes of Axar before getting caught at deep midwicket off Ahmed. Miller hit two boundaries while Tewatia helped himself to a six and a four but both players failed to provide the late thrust the innings required.
