The Delhi Daredevils ended their 11-match losing streak with a five-wicket win against Kings XI Punjab, chasing down the 166-run target set for them. The visitors planned their chase and got to the target with a ball to spare, courtesy a watchfully compiled 68 off 48 balls by Mayank Agarwal and a timely half-century by Yuvraj Singh. The opener, Agarwal, was the chief architect of DD’s much awaited win and he found a perfect ally in the experienced all-rounder to help the team post their first win of the season after two last ball losses.

While talking to iplt20.com about pacing the innings, Man of the match, Agarwal said, “Initially the plan was to try and keep wickets in hand. I got a few loose deliveries initially and I got a few of my strokes going; so I attacked initially.

But then because we lost Shreyas Iyer and JP Duminy we needed to consolidate and get a partnership going. The whole idea was to get partnerships together and once we got a good partnership and a good base, then we could launch from there.” Agarwal who had taken on the KXIP bowlers early on, stitched a 106-run partnership with Yuvraj that set up the game in DD’s favour.

Speaking about how he went about the task, he said, “If you have to build partnerships you (need to) reduce the risks you take. You nudge the ball around for ones and twos, and once you get the partnership going, you go for the big ones.”Reiterating what the young opener had said, Yuvraj added, “As long as you have wickets in hand you are in a good position.

Mayank gave us a good start and in the first six overs if you don’t lose more than two wickets then you are in a good position to finish the game. And luckily for me I could take the game till the end along with Mayank and seize our first win.” So what was the Daredevils’ strategy for KXIP’s strike-bowler Mitchell Johnson? “Mitchell is a world-class fast bowler.

When somebody is bowling at more than 145 kph, 147 kph, you have got to use their pace and try and be there till the end.”“My game is to take a few overs, and try and stay till the end and then go for the (quick) runs. It came off today; I am very happy that the team has the first win.

It will boost the morale of the team and I look forward for the next few games,” Yuvraj added while discussing his knock. Agarwal and Yuvraj got together when the match was in the balance and built the chase. Asked about the partnership and their conversation in the middle, Yuvraj said, “We were talking about what the wicket is like and how we are going to play certain kind of bowlers and it worked well for us.

We had good communication over there. We needed one good partnership to get the game to the end and we got it.”“I think the wicket was a bit sticky at the start.

I think it was a good toss to lose and it (the pitch) became better while batting second.” “The conversation between Yuvi paa (Yuvraj Singh) and me initially was to get a partnership together. The other thing was to decide who we are going to take on and which bowler I could take on and which bowler he was targeting, and how we are going to pace the innings and what run rate we are going to be at,” Agarwal said.

While they clobbered the bowlers, the opener took on Johnson and milked him to keep DD on course. Speaking about taking on the Australian speedster, he said, “We had to take on Mitchell Johnson; we had got a good base and we had to launch. It was good that we got some runs off him.

”Lauding Agarwal’s effort Yuvraj said, “I think Mayank was brilliant. He is a great talent. I have been talking to him from the start of the IPL and he played really well in the last game.

He played really well in this game too; he is maturing and I hope he plays for India soon.”Speaking about his own knock, Agarwal said, “You have to keep learning from your mistakes. Last innings I got a good start and I didn’t do justice to the team and to myself by getting out the way I did.

So this time when I got the opportunity I said (to myself) ‘I have to do it’.”When asked if there were nerves in the dressing room, given the Delhi Daredevils’ history of not closing matches, Yuvraj Singh explained, “We had the run rate covered over there and we needed like three (runs) off six balls. So I think we were in a good position to win the game,” Yuvraj said.

Speaking about the tense win, Agarwal said “I think DD is getting used to this. It’s fun. It is good,” and added on a more serious note, “The game was sealed two overs (before the match actually ended).

It was just a matter of finishing things off.” .

Source: http://www.iplt20.com/news/2015/features/6026/miserly-kulkarni-shines-in-vizag