“I wanted to grab the opportunity” - Aman Hakim Khan reflects on defining innings against GT

Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Aman Hakim Khan stated that he was extremely keen to grab the opportunity that came his way after all-rounder Mitchell Marsh fell sick and was ruled out of the IPL 2023 match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Tuesday, May 2.

Khan top-scored for DC with 51 off 44 balls to help the team recover from a precarious 23/5. Delhi went on to notch up a total of 130/8 in their 20 overs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Their bowlers then did a fabulous job of restricting Gujarat to 125/6.

Expectations from Khan were pretty low after he registered a highest score of 18 in the five matches he played for DC before Tuesday. However, the 26-year-old was keen to make an impact against GT. Speaking at the post-match conference, he said:

“[In earlier matches] I was going into bat at 30 balls 100 required and all of that. I wasn’t thinking much and I wasn’t low on confidence. But, previous game that I played in Hyderabad, I went in a similar situation and I threw my wicket away. So, I was really disappointed with myself and I was just thinking that if I get another opportunity like that…

“In fact today [Tuesday], I wasn’t going to play. Mitchell Marsh got sick, so I came into the side and I just thought of the opportunity that I got and I wanted to grab the opportunity.”

Reflecting on his innings, he added that he batted normally since the team had lost a lot of wickets. Khan said:

“The wicket was a little sticky. We had already lost a lot of wickets, so I was just looking to bat normally. Hitting big shots was really difficult on that wicket and with that bowling attack.”

Khan and Axar Patel (27) added 50 for the sixth wicket. A handy cameo of 23 in 13 balls from Ripal Patel then lifted DC to 130.

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“A lot of credit goes to him for winning this match” - Aman Hakim Khan praises Ishant Sharma

Khan praised veteran pacer Ishant Sharma for bowling a fantastic last over. Gujarat needed 12 to win in six balls, but Ishant gave away only six, while also picking up the wicket of Rahul Tewatia (20 off 7). Speaking about the last over, the DC batter said:

“It’s a collective effort, but the last over that Ishant Sharma bowled, he looked very confident. A lot of credit goes to him for winning this match because the way Rahul Tewatia was batting and the way Hardik Pandya was batting... And you what Rashid Khan can do.”

Despite the win, Delhi remain last in the points table with six points from nine games and a net run rate of -0.768. Khan admitted being unsure of the qualification scenario and stated:

“The last month has been pretty difficult. We have lost a couple of close games and I don’t know how the qualification [chances] look like, but we are looking to win all games from here.”

DC will next take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday, May 6.