An in-form Karun Nair's return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) impressed many but Delhi Capitals (DC) ended up on the losing side as they suffered a batting collapse. Nair scored 89 runs from just 40 balls and even took down the likes of Jasprit Bumrah but his IPL career best score was not enough to prevent DC from their first loss of the season. After the knock, Nair was disappointed as the team didn't win. He rues not finishing the game
“We play to win the match, so there is disappointment. And no matter how much we score, if the team does not win, then there is no value of it. For me, the team’s win was very important, and it did not happen. But it’s a learning, and we will go forward, and I hope I will keep performing like this, and we will win," Nair said in the post-match press conference.
“There is no point talking about my innings, because I played well, but I could not finish, so there is disappointment," he added.
Nair was going all guns blazing. It seemed like he had all the bowlers figured out and used the small boundaries at the Arun Jaitley Stadium effectively. However, a beauty of a delivery from left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner square him up. After replacing the wet ball, Santner got enough grip to beat Nair's bat and hit the stumps.
When he departed, DC were 135/3 in the 12th over. DC needed 70 more runs from 50 balls to beat MI and continue their winning run. The hosts suffered a batting collapse and lost eight wickets for 58 runs as they were bowled out for 193 in 19 overs.
Nair feels it was difficult for new batters in the end
Nair said that a set batter needed to be there till the end. He feels that losing wickets at regular intervals led to the 12-run loss.
“Obviously, it was easier for the set batsman to play than for the new batsman. So it was very important for a set batter to continue. We lost wickets at regular intervals, so it was difficult for us in the end. But having said that, they (MI) also bowled well and put us under pressure," Karun said.
“We were not able to stitch partnerships, which is important in T20. But that happens because we are all looking to score runs quickly, and like I said before, it’s a learning, and we have to take this forward in the next games and keep up the winning momentum that we have," the 33-year-old added.
Nair made it into the side as an impact player as Faf du Plessis missed out due to injury. DC are in the second place with four wins from five games.