De Kock relishes ton in successful Daredevils chase

Delhi Daredevils opener Quinton de Kock said his team of young batsmen were "very confident" about chasing 191 against Royal Challengers Bangalore because they had expected to chase 250 at one stage. De Kock led the pursuit with a 48-ball hundred, the first century in IPL 2016, and Daredevils achieved their second win of the season with seven wickets in hand and five balls to spare.

"I enjoyed the innings thoroughly," de Kock, looking fatigued at the press conference, said. "I wouldn't say it was my best, but it's up there. I enjoyed that especially chasing down a total like that."

Royal Challengers had been on course for a 200-plus total with Virat Kohli in charge, but Daredevils' bowlers - keyed up by Mohammed Shami's third spell - pegged the hosts back and conceded just 27 runs in the last four overs. De Kock said RCB's total was par on the easy-paced, hit-through-the-line Chinnaswamy pitch.

"Chasing it, we were very confident," de Kock said. "We thought he had to chase down 250 actually. We were very confident going in."

De Kock thrived on the off side, ten of his 15 fours coming in the arc between backward point and cover. His crisp cuts and punches were difficult to stop on a fast outfield.

"I wasn't thinking much, just stand in there and playing the ball as I saw it," de Kock said. "I knew the wicket was good, especially upfront. You could stand tall and just hit through the line."

Royal Challengers captain Kohli called de Kock a "top-quality player" and lauded him for pacing the chase to perfection.

"I think it was wonderful, especially the way he handled the spinners," Kohli said. "He waited on the ball pretty nicely. It always helps as a wicketkeeper when you see the pace of the wicket. That shows game awareness. He is a top-quality player.

"He has done really well for South Africa in the international circuit. On pitches which assist the batsmen, he is a very dangerous player. He likes to come forward and attack the bowlers and that is pretty evident with the way he plays as well. Credit to him. He really targeted his areas and targeted the bowlers."