CSK vs DC: Too many dot balls in middle overs cost us dearly, says Ricky Ponting

Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting feels that his team lost the IPL match against Chennai Super Kings because they had too many dot balls in the middle overs while trying to reach the 168-run target.

DC scored 140 runs while chasing CSK’s modest 167 for 8, which saw the four-time champions win by 27 runs.

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“We lost two early, then we lost three early and then the spinners came on…we didn’t show any urgency against the spinners,” Ponting told reporters after the match.

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“There were about 34 dot balls in the middle of the game…you are never going to win chasing a score if there is that many dot balls through the middle phase,” he added.

The former Australia skipper also rued the fact that the team had lost wickets in the first over several times this season.

“I think that is the fifth, sixth, maybe seventh time this season where we have lost a wicket in the first over of the game. On one occasion we lost two wickets in the first over of the game.. That is clearly an area that we haven’t got right…is pretty obvious where the game was lost,” Ponting said.

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He, however, praised DC bowlers for restricting CSK to a total under 170 runs. “I thought the bowlers overall did a really good job. The spinners — Axar (Patel) and Kuldeep Yadav — were good again. Khaleel (Ahmed) before his last over, which went for 20, he bowled 3 overs for 12.”

Ponting further said that out of-form Prithvi Shaw has been dropped from the playing XI as he didn’t perform to team’s expectations.

“Prithvi… the fact that he is not playing is an indication that he did not perform as we wanted him to.”

In the low-scoring affair at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, aka Chepauk, in Chennai, seamers Matheesha Pathirana (3/37) and Deepak Chahar (2/28), along with economical displays from spinners Ravindra Jadeja (1/19) and Moeen Ali (0/16) ensured CSK restricted DC to 140/8.

(With inputs from PTI)

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