"God of day-games!"- MI fans erupt as Quinton de Kock, Krunal Pandya shut down critics

Mumbai Indians (MI) have successfully returned to winning ways in their first game in Delhi this season against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), thanks to Quinton de Kock's brilliant 70*. The Proteas opener's return to form is the biggest positive the defending champions will take away from this game.

After a scratchy start to his IPL 2021 season, where a run-a-ball 40 was the best that he could manage, Quinton de Kock's place in the side was questioned by fans and pundits alike. Australian opener Chris Lynn was tipped to replace De Kock as the former scored a well-made 49 in the first game.

MI fans hail Quinton de Kock for his blistering 70*

The MI think tank backed their star opener and Quinton de Kock lived up to the faith shown in him. With Ishan Kishan missing out, all-rounder Krunal Pandya was slotted in at No.4. The Team India star was also under the scanner after a string of poor performances.

But Krunal delivered with a quickfire 39 and formed a match-winning partnership with Quinton de Kock. MI fans were ecstatic to see their team back to their best after a tough time in Chennai. The pitch in Delhi seems to suit their style and they will hope that MI embark on a winning streak from here on.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Quinton de Kock's brilliant innings and MI's emphatic win over RR:

Mumbai Indians defeats Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets. Brilliant batting display by MI today, Quinton De Kock and Krunal Pandya set the chase with their fine knocks. Their bowlers did the job brilliantly as well restricting RR for 171. A much needed win for Mumbai to get going.

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 29, 2021

Virat Kohli - God of rain-shortened games in IPLSanju Samson - God of Opening games in IPLQuinton de Kock - God of Day games in IPL

— 󠄪 󠄪 (@ComeToGabbaMate) April 29, 2021

50s for Quinton De Kock for Mumbai Indians81 vs RR 201978* vs KKR 202070 vs RR TODAY69* vs SRH 201967 vs SRH 202065 vs RR 201960 vs KXIP 201953 vs DC 202053 vs KXIP 2020#MumbaiIndians#RRvsMI #MIvRR pic.twitter.com/WYuEqWe6xY

— Arnav Singh (@Arnavv43) April 29, 2021

#MIvRRChris Lynn after seeing today's innings of Quinton de cock pic.twitter.com/aA99YX9IPd

— Siddhesh (@Sid_maymay) April 29, 2021

Well played, Krunal Pandya, vital knock in the contest of the match, 39 runs from 26 balls, had a brilliant partnership with QDK and sealed the match for #MI.

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 29, 2021

Well played Krunal Pandya 💙, we MI fans don’t deserve you

— Nitin #MI💙 (@LoyalMIfan) April 29, 2021

Krunal Pandya Hitting Sixes! Pic 1 : RR fansPic 2 : MI fans#MI pic.twitter.com/4oPgM1iUWF

— Manvansh Singh (@Vansh_Bhatia18) April 29, 2021

Well played Quinton de kock and Krunal Pandya 👏💙@QuinnyDeKock69@krunalpandya24#MIvsRR #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/TAufdnU3mL

— ರಿತಿಕ್ ಗೌಡ (@FromDeeHeart) April 29, 2021

Quinton de Kock and Jasprit Bumrah were brilliant today, but MI's best player was Dube.#MIvRR #MIvsRR #IPL2021

— CricBlog ✍ (@cric_blog) April 29, 2021

#MIvsRRChris Lynn after seeing Quinton De Kock's performance in this IPL pic.twitter.com/P0iVpS2GiV

— Kisslay Jha🇮🇳 (@TrollerBabua) April 29, 2021

Some brilliant death bowling by MI ensured that RR were restricted to 171-4 in their 20 overs. On a good batting surface and with smaller ground dimensions, MI would have been happy with the target in front of them. Jasprit Bumrah was sensational with figures of 1-15.

MI still had to get off to a good start and although Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav lost their wickets, Quinton de Kock ensured that he anchored the innings. Since he was out of form, the Proteas batsman took his time to settle. Once he found his groove, de Kock began playing his shots.

Kieron Pollard applied the finishing touches to the chase as MI wrapped up the game with seven wickets in hand. This win will certainly have lifted their spirits and will give them much-needed confidence going forward.