Delhi Daredevils captain Dinesh Karthik has labelled Jean-Paul Duminy “world class”, after the South African’s stunning knock against Kolkata Knight Riders.
The 30-year-old lofted a six into the delirious Dubai International Stadium crowd in the final over to give Delhi their first victory of the Indian Premier League season.
His 52-run display also ended a seven-match winless streak for the franchise stretching over two different seasons.
Karthik said: “We trust our batters, and we had belief we could get the target. JP is a world-class player. He is able to stand his ground and hit the big shot when it matters.
"At the same time, he can knock the ball around. He is someone who is very confident and is key to our batting plans."
Captain Karthik led the way with a 40-ball 56 before Duminy took charge and the skipper revealed he never had any fear his side would surpass the stiff target of 166 despite the nailbiting finish.
He said: “Being captain you want to show the boys it can be done.
“The good thing was that we were always in check with the run rate. It was never too far ahead of us. We were not panicking at any stage.”
KKR captain Gautam Gambhir admitted they were blown away by Duminy’s brilliance.
“Once you get 165 on any kind of wicket you feelyou are in with a chance with the kind of attack we have. JP played an unbelievable innings.”
Gambhir’s team-mate Manish Pandey, refused to blame another patient opening for the loss.
He said: “We started on the slower side, but that was the plan after losing two early wickets as we could not afford to lose another quickly.
“167 was not a small target. In the crucial overs we gave away too many runs.
“The Morne Morkel over [the 18th which went for 21 runs] was where I thought we might lose it.”
