"Go Be A Captain, Don't Fool Around": Dinesh Karthik Stumps Axar Patel During Nets Session
"Don't joke around, please carry on batting. That's exactly why I don't come near the nets," was the RCB mentor's message to the DC skipper. Here's how the conversation went:
Axar Patel: DK Bhai ko hello toh bolunga na. (I will say hello to my brother, DK)
Dinesh Karthik: Go be a captain.
Axar Patel: Arey DK bhai, bhai ho yaar aap. (You are my brother, DK)
Dinesh Karthik: Eh tu khel na yaar. Mazak mat kar. Islie main net ke paas nahi ata. (You go and bat, don't fool around. That's exactly why I don't come near the nets).
DK bhai se milne ke liye sab ruk sakta hai pic.twitter.com/0mHThRPXRI
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 26, 2025
Both teams have a well-rounded look and that reflects from them having 12 points each – though DC are ahead of RCB on the basis of net run rate and having one defeat less than them. RCB have won six of their ten meeting against DC in New Delhi, both teams are literally neck to neck in how they have gone about their business in batting and bowling.
As per statistics from Cricket-21, RCB have a better strike-rate (161) and run-rate (9.7) in batting power-play as compared to DC (155 and 9.3 respectively), thanks in large part to Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal being in great form. But when it comes to batting in the middle and death overs, DC have the upper hand.
With the firepower of KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma, DC have a strike-rate of 152, and run-rate of 9.1 in middle overs, which is more than what RCB have in that phase (139 and 8.3 respectively). In the last five overs, DC's strike-rate is a massive 205 and run-rate at 12.3, which is again more than RCB's numbers (190 and 11.4 respectively).
When the last time these two teams met at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Rahul's 93 not out and an unbeaten 38 from Stubbs lifted DC out of trouble after losing three wickets in the powerplay and put them on the path to an astonishing victory.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘India heading towards Shubman Gill being all format captain; a little unfair Axar Patel lost vice-captaincy': Aakash Chopra reacts to Asia Cup squad
India selected their 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup on Tuesday with Shubman Gill making his way back into the national T20I team for the first time since June 2024. Former India player Aakash Chopra said that this means that the 25-year-old, who is already the Test captain is being prepared to lead India as an all-format skipper in the near future. 'Shubman Gill is the new vice-captain for India's T20I team. What does it mean? It means that India is heading towards him being the all-format captain. He is the Test captain, will eventually be the ODI captain and if he is the vice-captain of the T20I side, that means a future captain is being prepared,' Chopra said on X. 🇮🇳 #AsiaCup Squad announced – Gill named Vice-Captain. What do you think of the squad? Any surprises? #Aakashvani — Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) August 19, 2025 'If he's he vice-captain, he'll play. He's also likely to open. And if he opens, who will miss out? Sanju Samson might miss out on his place in the playing XI. This is the reason Jitesh Sharma's name is in the team. Because you need a middle-order keeper-batter. So Jitesh has been rewarded for his wonderful performance in the IPL for RCB,' he said. He also weighed in on why Shreyas Iyer was left out of the team even with back to back stellar IPL campaigns and also said that it was a bit unfair that Axar Patel lost the vice-captaincy despite playing well. 'There is no place for Shreyas Iyer. What does it mean? The reason might be that the team was selected based on slots. Tilak is at 3, Surya is at 4, Axar at 5 and Hardik at 6 so when Iyer did not fit into this combination, he was excluded. He did everything right but they couldn't find a place for him according to the slots,' he said. 'I also feel that it was a little unfair to Axar that he is suddenly not the vice-captain any more. But that's my opinion. Team looks fine though,' he added.
Mint
12 minutes ago
- Mint
Asia Cup: Samson vs Jitesh, the absence of Shreyas Iyer and Bumrah's workload
India's title defence of the T20 World Cup is still a year away, but the journey begins now with the Asia Cup. The squad picked by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel covers many bases but also raises some interesting questions. India's Asia Cup squad: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh Standbys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal. As with all strong teams, there will always be players left out who feel hard done by. Good teams invariably have more contenders than spots available. Even so, this selection still raises some interesting questions. Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma perform very different roles in the batting line-up. Samson is most effective at the top of the order, while Jitesh has built his reputation with lower-order heroics. Who gets the nod will depend on the team structure India prefers in their XI. The return of Shubman Gill as vice-captain suggests he is almost a certain starter. If Gill plays, Samson's place could come under threat, as India is unlikely to field all three of Abhishek Sharma, Gill, and Samson. Agarkar has already indicated that Abhishek, with his batting and the additional option he provides with the ball, is the first-choice opener. As a result, through no fault of his own, Samson may find himself on the bench, with India's top six comprising Abhishek, Gill, Tilak, Suryakumar, Hardik, and Jitesh. In IPL 2025, Shreyas Iyer unveiled a revamped T20 game that impressed everyone. He became a high-intent, high-consistency, high-impact run-scoring machine, piling up 604 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 175. He finished as the sixth-highest run-getter, and no one in the top five had a better strike rate. On those numbers alone, you would expect him to walk into any Indian squad. But when asked about Iyer's exclusion, Agarkar said: 'You'll have to tell me who he can replace… Again, no fault of his. Nor is it ours. It's just that you can pick only 15, and at the moment he'll have to wait for his chance.' To answer Agarkar's question, based on IPL form, Shreyas could easily slot in ahead of Gill or Tilak if only top-order batters are considered. He also led Punjab Kings impressively, nearly delivering the franchise its first IPL title. What's more intriguing is that Shreyas hasn't even been named among the standbys, with Riyan Parag preferred ahead of him. While Parag is undoubtedly a promising talent, his best IPL season in 2024 doesn't compare to Shreyas's 2025 campaign. And in this year's IPL, Parag endured a middling season, averaging 32.7 at a strike rate of 166.5. Those numbers were inflated by a single explosive knock of 95 off 45 balls against KKR; without it, his returns fell to an average of 27 and a strike rate of 156. Shreyas Iyer's missing out on the 15-man squad is surprising. His absence even from the standbys is astounding. But for him to be overlooked when Riyan Parag has been picked instead is, frankly, shocking. The selectors have quelled any pointed fingers at India's greatest match-winner by naming him in the squad. Any team, in any format, is stronger with Jasprit Bumrah in it. But given the stresses and injuries he has already endured, India would be wiser to manage his workload and preserve him for marquee tournaments, rather than risk killing the goose that lays the golden egg. The selectors and team management must believe Bumrah is sufficiently rested after the England Test series to handle the demands of a shorter T20 tournament. His inclusion allows India to field a full-strength attack, with Bumrah, Arshdeep, Kuldeep and Varun all in the XI. Even if that slightly weakens the batting, this is a bowling unit capable of stifling any line-up in the world, and winning tournaments Looking ahead, India's home Test series against West Indies begins on 2 October, just four days after the Asia Cup final on 28 September. Whether or not India makes the final, the tight scheduling suggests Bumrah may miss that series. It also underlines the selectors' priorities: With a T20 World Cup defence looming next year, they are prepared to place T20 cricket above a less marquee Test series, a fair call.
NDTV
12 minutes ago
- NDTV
India's Asia Cup Squad: 5 Big Takeaways From Ajit Agarkar, Suryakumar Yadav Press Conference
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sprung a few surprises as it named the India squad for the Asia Cup in the UAE next month. While Suryakumar Yadav was named the captain of the side, he found a new deputy in the form of Shubman Gill, who is being seen as an all-format skipper in the near future. Axar Patel, without a fault of his own, had to relinquish the vice-captaincy in the shortest format. Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal were arguably the biggest names to miss out on a spot in the Asia Cup. India's Asia Cup 2025 Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh Suryakumar Yadav and Ajit Agarkar Asia Cup Squad Selection Press Conference: 5 Top Takeaways 1. Yashasvi Jaiswal Competed With Abhishek Sharma, Not Shubman Gill: As per the comments made by the BCCI selection committee chief, Ajit Agarkar, it was Abhishek Sharma who faced competition with Yashasvi Jaiswal for a spot among openers. For the selectors, Gill was a certain pick in the team, and only one between Abhishek and Jaiswal could be selected. Being the No. 1 T20I batter in the game at present, there was simply no way the BCCI could've snubbed him. Jaiswal, however, is part of the reserve list. 2. Sanju Samson To Be Demoted: With Gill being named the T20I vice-captain, he becomes a certain pick in India's playing XI. The situation, hence, means India's primary opening pair at the Asia Cup will be Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, while Sanju would need to bat in the middle-order. The team management could decide to shift Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav a step lower in the batting unit and give Samson the No. 3 role. 3. Shreyas Iyer Not Even A Reserve Player: Despite scoring 604 runs for the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign, Shreyas Iyer doesn't even feature in the top 20 players the BCCI selected for the Asia Cup. The batter neither managed to bag a spot in the primary 15 for the continental event, nor in the 5-member reserve list. The selectors' decision to snub him to such an extent was truly surprising. 4. Mohammed Siraj Not In T20I Scheme: Despite being a prolific pacer for India in the recently-concluded Test series against England, Siraj wasn't even in the race to be picked for the Asia Cup. While Harshit Rana made the cut in the 15-member team, Prasidh Krishna was named among the reserves. Siraj was nowhere to be seen. 5. Rinku Singh Cements Finishers' Role: Despite the chatter around his possible exclusion from the team, Rinku Singh proved why he is the designated 'finisher' in the Indian team for the shortest format. Rinku managed to fend off competition from Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar -- two all-rounders who can also play as finishers -- to seal a spot in the 15-member squad.
