India, April 22 -- The threat of 'Travishek' on a flat track, especially in home conditions, is immense. With both openers being left-handed, the Delhi Capitals opted for the textbook move, deploying an off-spinner in the powerplay. And why not? The world had seen it during the recent T20 World Cup. Abhishek Sharma's struggle against the variety is no secret.

The India opener, who was tipped for a record-breaking World Cup after a blistering build-up, was handed a reality check as he was dismissed not once, but thrice in the powerplay by off-spinners. The numbers underlined the issue, an average of just 9.67 against right-arm off-spin, with a strike rate of 107.41.

Hence, Axar Patel's decision to hand the new ball to Nitish Rana in the ...