IPL nuggets: Fans go gaga over Ishant’s knuckle ball

Delhi Capitals pulled off a major upset by beating the table toppers Gujarat Titans by 5 runs at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium yesterday.

Defending a measly 130 runs, Delhi choked Gujarat’s run flow with some brilliant bowling at the death and cliched a much needed win.

After Delhi was reduced to 23/5 thanks to Mohammed Shami’s outstanding opening spell, it seemed like curtains for the Capitals.

However, Aman Khan hit his maiden T20 half-century and Ripal Patel stood up to help post a decent score.

But the real hero for Delhi was the pace veteran, Ishant Sharma.

In fact, after Sharma’s inclusion to the Playing XI, the Capitals seem to have found their mojo and are displaying fantastic fight.

But it was the all-round bowling display that helped the Capitals clinch the much-needed two points.

Delhi’s fight back started when Ishant Sharma, Anrich Nortje and Khaleel Ahmed struck in the powerplay to reduce the hosts to 26/3 after five overs.

The last of the three dismissals was was what broke the internet.

Sharma produced a peach of a knuckleball from Ishant Sharma which completely bamboozled Vijay Shankar.

Looking for a flick, Shankar missed the ball altogether as the ball crashed into the middle and off stump.

Former South Africa pacer and current Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach, Dale Steyn couldn’t raving about the ball.

Steyn wrote on his Twitter handle, “Okay, Ishant just bowled the best knuckleball wicket I’ve ever seen!”

However, Ishant wasn’t done yet!

Ishant was brought on for the last over against an attacking Rahul Tewatia and Hardik Pandya who had to score 11 runs to clinch a win.

In fact, Tewatia had just hit three back-to-back sixes off Anrich Nortje in the 19th over.

Ishant gave away just three runs off the first two deliveries before dismissing Tewatia off a slower ball.

The Capitals won by 5 runs in the end and won the hearts of every cricket fan. A thrilling win, which drew praise from Parth Jindal, the owner of the Delhi franchise who called it, “their best win ever”.

Ishant has picked up six wickets in four games at an economy of six so far this season.