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Out came a few honest words, then silence. That match ending left Axar Patel standing under bright lights, speaking slow, voice low after Delhi lost by eight wickets. Not good enough – that’s what he called it. Facing CSK on Tuesday did not go well. Batting first, they fell behind. Maybe ten runs shy. Perhaps fifteen. Hard to say exactly. The surface clung to the ball, made things tricky. A proper innings from one player might have shifted ground. It didn’t happen. Bowlers tried. Conditions helped them. Still, something missing. He glanced sideways when asked about Kuldeep. Threw three overs. Gave away 34. Didn’t matter. Missed having him out there beside him.

After the game finished, Axar spoke about how the pitch behaved early on. That kind of bounce and turn made 155 seem enough at the time. Still, putting out a lineup with eight batsmen left him thinking they’d fallen just shy – maybe ten or fifteen runs light. Sanju Samson’s unbroken 87 had carried CSK through their run-chase smoothly.

Out here, the game shifted once players settled in, Axar mentioned, though starting fresh stayed tough. Things seemed smoother later on, he noted, yet the real change came only after getting comfortable at the crease. A steady rhythm makes the field look calm, almost empty of threats, even if the ground still held some surprise. The moment you find your feet, the challenge fades – still, he insists, the track never turned fully harmless.

“For a new batter coming in, it was not easy. Yes, it wasn’t easy for new players because, you know, the length balls were holding up, sometimes staying low, and occasionally even bouncing after holding. So I feel it was very difficult for new batters. But when set batters were playing, it looked easier. You could see the way Sanju took the game forward.”

Even after losing, some spark came through when Sameer Rizvi hit 40 not out, joined closely by Tristan Stubbs’ 38 – while the rest up front fell apart quickly. Kuldeep struggled again, showing little bite in his spell under hot sun. He has not found rhythm all season, this outing no different. Not once did Axar point fingers outright at the left-armer for missing scalps. Still, his words carried weight, hinting clearly where disappointment lay.

“Yes, obviously, considering our batting, I think that’s a positive. Even after losing five wickets, the way we finished at the end was good. So yes, that is a positive. But I feel in bowling, I missed my partner Kuldeep (lethaleness).”

With the playoff race tightening, Axar stressed the need for clarity and urgency, especially with DC to face Kolkata Knight Riders in another home clash on Friday. “Yes, obviously, we cannot afford any mistakes now. So we have to go in with a clear mindset that whatever time or chances we get, we must win.”