Vadodara, Jan 28 Delhi Capitals captain Jemimah Rodrigues praised the composure and courage shown by Sneh Rana and Niki Prasad in a tense finish, admitting it was a tough pill to swallow after falling just three runs short of the target against Gujarat Giants at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara.
Sophie Devine held her nerve in a dramatic final over to defend nine runs, sealing a thrilling three-run win for the Giants, completing a season double.
A spirited seventh-wicket partnership of 70 runs between Rana (29 off 15) and Prasad (47 off 24) reignited hope, but Devine’s mastery at the death — having earlier defended seven against the same opponents — ensured Gujarat Giants closed out another nervy win. "Firstly, the way Sneh Rana and Niki played, I have to give it to them. It was special. Such things happen, but it would have been nice had we finished on the right side of the finishing line," said Rodrigues after the match.
Rodrigues said belief never faded in the Capitals’ camp as long as batters were at the crease, lauding Rana and Prasad for keeping the chase alive with their fearless approach. "As long as we knew our batters were in, we had the hope, and we kept believing. They kept believing and kept us in the hunt. Niki played brilliantly. I think they were the ones who kept us going. We didn’t win it today, but the way they played today was brilliant."
Delhi's reply got off to a good start when Shafali Verma hit a boundary off the first ball and quickly reached 26 in 2.2 overs before Rajeshwari Gayakwad removed her in the first over.
Laura Wolvaardt once again failed to accelerate, scoring 24 off 23 before Gayakwad brushed her off stump, while Lizelle Lee struggled with fluency and was caught for 11 off 20 balls.
Jemimah Rodrigues managed 16 off 16 balls before being bowled by Devine, and the Capitals’ chase faltered further as Marizanne Kapp fell for a golden duck to Gardner. Chinelle Henry added only 9 off 11 balls, leaving Delhi in trouble.
Reflecting on the defeat, the skipper felt Delhi paid the price for losing wickets in clusters and conceding extra runs at the death, despite a strong effort with the ball earlier in the innings.
"I just feel we had done really well with the ball. Last few overs, we gave some runs. 10-15 runs extra. We needed partnerships from all the top order batters. To see the way those two batted, it was really special."
Delhi will play their last league game against UP Warriorz, which will be a virtual knockout on February 1. "That game is going to be important. It will be important for us to regroup. We are still in the tournament, and we will keep fighting."
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