"I place a lot of trust in my scoop shot" - Sarfaraz Khan on playing his trademark shot in IPL 2022
Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Sarfaraz Khan opened up about his penchant for unorthodox scoop shots to send the ball behind the wicket. The youngster used the stroke to good effect during the team's 17-run win over the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
The two-time U-19 World Cup member was promoted to the top of the order following Prithvi Shaw's ailment and KS Bharat's poor returns. Khan scored a quickfire 32 off 16 deliveries against his former franchise to set up a platform for Mitchell Marsh and the rest of the middle order.
Sarfaraz Khan and Shardul Thakur are all smiles for the #IPLSelfie after @DelhiCapitals victory over #PBKS
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Claiming that he played unorthodox shots to alter the field placement, Sarfaraz Khan said in a post-match interaction with Shardul Thakur:
"I place a lot of trust in my scoop shot. It is not like I cannot play other shots, but I want them to place the fielder behind me and keep mid-on and mid-off up. That helps me a lot. "
Khan is a fine exponent of the scoop shot and has played it with conviction on most occasions since his days at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
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"Ponting told me to make good use of the opportunity" - Sarfaraz Khan on opening the innings against PBKS
The deficiency of openers in the squad prompted DC to think outside the box for the crucial encounter against their northern rivals. Sarfaraz Khan has made sporadic appearances for the side in the tournament, but did not provide the required impact.
CRED Power Player of the Match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals is Sarfaraz Khan.
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The youngster's explosive start at the top of the order helped the franchise amass 59 runs in the powerplay. After he was dismissed by Arshdeep Singh, Mitchell Marsh (63 off 48) anchored the innings once again to lead his IPL team to a total of 159/7.
Making it count on his fifth appearance of the season, Sarfaraz Khan said:
"Ponting told me to make good use of the opportunity. Was not trying to stay on the wicket because the shots were coming off and the runs were also coming. Was just trying to score as many as I can quickly, because I know we have hitters to come down the order."
DC's fate remains in their hands now. A win in their last league game against the Mumbai Indians (MI) will seal their progress into a fourth consecutive IPL playoff appearance.