“Lot of the pre-match chat was about taking it to them” - Phil Salt on his aggressive exchange with Mohammed Siraj

Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Phil Salt stated that his team was ready to take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in all aspects in the IPL 2023 clash on Saturday, May 6. He admitted that there was pre-match talk in the camp about responding to aggressive behavior and added that he was ready for the verbal duel.

Salt smashed 87 off only 45 balls as DC hammered RCB by seven wickets in match number 50 of IPL 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Chasing 182, Delhi raced home in 16.4 overs courtesy’s Salt’s brilliance.

During his knock, the Delhi opener was involved in a heated exchange with RCB pacer Mohammed Siraj. In a post-match press conference, Salt said that he was ready to give it back to the opposition.

While speaking about his innings, Salt stated:

“I am very satisfied with the knock. Obviously, there was a little bit of a needle. Their boys were up for the last game when we were in Bangalore. So a lot of the pre-match chat was about really taking it to them, which I felt that we did really well. There were a few words and a bit of needle, but most blokes were up for it, certainly myself.”

The right-handed batter was particularly severe on Siraj, who conceded 28 runs in his two overs.

Asked whether it was a conscious effort to go after RCB’s best bowler, the England cricketer admitted:

“It was. I feel like if you take on a side’s best bowler a lot of the times and you win that particular battle, whether it’s the first over or any over that he bowls, the message that it sends back into the dugout is one of calm.

“When that happens and you do it successfully, you see guys come out the way Mitch [Mitchell Marsh] did. Hit his second ball for six. You see Rilee [Rossouw] come out and bat like he’d already faced 30 balls. A sort of a method behind it.”

While Salt top-scored with 87, Rossouw contributed an unbeaten 35 off 22 and Marsh 26 off 17.

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“My goal ever since the auction was to come here and win games” - Phil Salt

Sharing his thoughts on playing in the IPL, the 26-year-old described the tournament as the best domestic league in the world.

Asserting that he wants to prove himself against the best, Salt commented:

“It’s the first time lot of people would have seen me bat. Probably a lot of Indian fans are watching me for the first time if they don’t watch other competitions. My goal ever since the auction was to come here and win games and challenge myself against the best in the world. Realistically, we know this is the best domestic league in the world.”

After beginning IPL 2023 with five consecutive losses, DC have now won four of their last five games. Asked what has led to the amazing turnaround, Salt replied:

“After a few games, it was a conscious review - what are we doing right, what could we improve on. The batting group throwing the first punch out was a major talking point. Our bowlers have been put in some tough situations like [against] Gujarat last game. They have come out strongly.”

Following their win over RCB, DC moved up to ninth position in the points table, pushing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) down to the last place.