Sameer Rizvi showed encouraging skills against pace.
A notable feature of Sameer Rizvi’s innings last night was his ability to handle the high pace in Lucknow. He has been touted as a solid spin player right from the start, but his credentials against pacers, especially on shorter lengths, are recent developments.
Even in Delhi Capitals’ final game last season, Rizvi showed progress at these lengths, and his latest outing saw him building further towards it. Before last season’s final fixture against Punjab Kings (PBKS), he had a strike rate of 115.38 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 5.20 on all back-of-a-length and short balls against pace.
However, since then, Sameer Rizvi has increased his strike rate to 224 and reduced the balls-per-boundary ratio to 3.12 on these lengths. Against LSG last night, Rizvi showed his range with an upper cut off Nortje in the ninth over before a hook and a pull against Mohsin Khan in the 16th set.
While his strike rate against spin was still significantly higher than pace, Rizvi definitely showed improved skills and the ability to read lengths early and maintain shape even against high clicks. A lot of domestic batters naturally struggle against non-fuller lengths due to the wickets they play on while growing, but the DC batter has definitely worked towards it.
Delhi Capitals are designed so that several players need to play specific roles to succeed, with many vulnerabilities among most of the batters. For instance, Abishek Porel is a pace-hitter who mostly succeeds in the powerplay but struggles against spin, making him a not-so-ideal option outside the top spot.
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Meanwhile, Pathum Nissanka is also a slow starter against spinners, while Nitish Rana has serious issues against quality pace, as was visible last night. Prithvi Shaw can have the same troubles, while Karun Nair hasn’t exactly cracked the T20 format, despite those occasional big knocks.
That’s where Sameer Rizvi can be mighty crucial for Delhi Capitals, as he already possesses high skills against spin and can operate effectively in the middle overs when the field is spread. Now with his improved pace game, the batter can’t be stifled even with hard lengths into the body, and these flat surfaces will only make things easier for shot-making.
So, he’s a more complete batter than other options vying for the same spot and brings the ability to play big knocks, as his latest two IPL outings show. Rizvi couldn’t have found a better time to play a match-winning knock, which not only showed his progress as a pace-hitter but also stamped his authority to succeed under pressure.
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