new delhi, April 2
After anchoring Delhi Capitals’ successful chase with a composed unbeaten half century, Sameer Rizvi revealed that head coach Hemang Badani had entrusted him with the No. 4 role and encouraged him to stick to his natural game.
“The coach had told me earlier that I would bat at number four and that they would back me. He asked me to play my natural game and stay positive. When I went in today, my intent was to play positively. But we lost wickets quickly and were four down around 24 to 26, so it became a tough situation. I spoke to Tristan Stubbs and we felt that we still had a lot of overs left, so we didn’t need to rush.” “There was some swing and seam movement, and the bowlers were on top initially, so we decided to take some time, understand the wicket and build the innings. The plan was simple. Once we got set, we would capitalise on the loose balls and play our shots,” Rizvi told reporters after the game.
Rizvi joined hands with Tristan Stubbs with a 119-run partnership to set up Delhi Capitals’ six-wicket victory. However, initially the duo had to quickly assess the conditions with LSG’s pace-heavy attack extracting movement off a surface that made strokeplay difficult early on. “The wicket was a bit sticky and there was movement for the fast bowlers, so it was not easy for batters early on. It was important to spend some time in the middle before playing freely. We felt that the fast bowlers were getting more help from the surface, so if the spinners came on, we could look to score more. The idea was to take calculated risks if the ball was there, we would go for it, but without forcing anything,” he said.
His cautious start reflected those challenges, as he laboured to 5 off 13 balls before finding momentum through a timely boundary.
“We didn’t get many boundaries early on, and I had faced around 12–13 balls without one. Then I got a loose delivery, and I felt it was there to be put away. I managed to get a boundary off it, and that gave me a lot of confidence. As a batter, when you’re a bit quiet for the first 10–12 balls, that one boundary really helps you settle. It was the same for me. After that, I could relax and just play my natural game,” he noted.
Once set, Rizvi began to target the spinners, particularly Shahbaz Ahmed and Aiden Markram, shifting the momentum in Delhi’s favour.
Speaking of his partnership with Stubbs, Rizvi stated, “When we bat together, our approach is very simple we play according to the situation. If the team needs quick runs, we look to be positive. If the situation is a bit tough, we take some time and build the innings. Having someone at the other end who understands the situation well always helps.”
