The thump of the bat as Jemimah Rodrigues reverse-paddled Hayley Matthews to the boundary told you a story. It felt like a game that was on a knife's edge had found its decisive twist. Marizanne Kapp, Rodrigues' batting partner, wasted no time in walking across for a few words. Going by her expressions, it seemed as if the message was: 'Breathe. Keep calm. We've got this'.
A run out courtesy a deflection off Nat Sciver-Brunt's hand on her follow-through had sent back Laura Wolvaardt to cause a few flutters for Delhi Capitals (DC) against Mumbai Indians (MI) only a while earlier.
Before Rodrigues hit Matthews for that four, DC needed 18 off 13 balls - routine on paper, but far less straightforward on a surface that bore little resemblance to the road that Navi Mumbai was. Rodrigues struggled for timing initially. Her first attempt to generate pace nearly had had her scoop straight to short fine leg.
Had she missed the full delivery off which he reversed Matthews, there would've been no escaping. But for someone with malleable wrists courtesy her tryst with competitive junior hockey growing up, this was more about executing a skill she has practiced for years.
Rodrigues prides herself on being a touch player who keeps the scoreboard ticking along unnoticed, until you suddenly look up and realise how deep into her innings she is. On Tuesday, it was this touch shot that punctured the tension in an instant - and not the boundary she had glided earlier in the over, nor the mowed six that was parried over at cow corner by Amelia Kerr.
This innings, on which she ended undefeated on 51 off 37 balls, was also crucial from a leadership standpoint. On paper, DC appeared to have assembled a gun squad. But four games in, the captain hadn't yet played a signature knock. There were suggestions Rodrigues bat herself higher, but she settled for a tougher role for the team's sake - a move that paid off when they needed her versatility on a slow surface.
"To be honest, I wanted to bat at No. 3. But as a captain, I cannot think about myself; I need to put the team first," Rodriuges said. "When I thought it from the team's perspective, I felt Wolfie [Laura Wolvaardt] was better at No. 3. At [number] four, I'm more versatile in playing the spinners well, and getting the gaps, get going from first ball. Wolfie has opened for South Africa also, so I felt No. 3 is more ideal when the ball's newer, and she can time it better. I knew I can handle [number] three and a little later."
In the final game of the Navi Mumbai leg, Rodrigues had chopped on trying to deftly steer the ball past short third. Four innings had brought her 4, 21, 15 and 1. And with DC's campaign on the line, they needed her to step up.
While it greatly helped that they were chasing only 155, it was only Lizelle Lee who had managed to somewhat take the surface out of the equation. Rodrigues flicked for four second ball after arriving at the crease following Lee's run-out in the 11th over. But after that, DC went 20 balls without a boundary. This forced Rodrigues into taking a risk by attempting that high-risk scoop, even though Sciver-Brunt went off pace. But this was her night. And having received a slice of luck early on, she needed to carry the side through.
"I'd had a few conversations beforehand with people I trust, and they told me to give myself time initially," Rodrigues explained of her measured start, given she made 15 off her first 17 deliveries. "I've played a lot on these kinds of pitches growing up. So if I could get through the first ten balls and stay calm, I knew it would get easier. I gave myself that clarity - to take ten balls, settle in, and then reassess once I was set."
Partly, that template was also something she picked up from having taken cues from Sciver-Brunt and Harmanpreet Kaur during their 78-run partnership that injected momentum into the MI's innings.
"We assessed the conditions well," she said. "Anything around 160 was going to be competitive. We knew we needed partnerships, and that one batter had to bat deep. Building those partnerships, running hard between the wickets, and choosing the right moments to take risks were key. We've learnt from Nat and Harman - how they got themselves in first, and then went for it."
The confidence Rodrigues brought out in her innings was a reflection of her captaincy on the night, too. Like the call to bowl Kapp out up front, as she moved the ball hoops to have MI's indecisive top order in all sorts of trouble.
This move had the potential to be a double-edged sword. Without a bowler like Shikha Pandey, who had expertly closed down innings over the first three seasons, the move ran the risk of having to depend on a rookie in Nandani Sharma or Lucy Hamilton.
But it was perhaps one of those gut calls that paid off, given how Kapp beat both edges, and had the ball moving subtly off the seam. Matthews was bowled by one such pearl that knocked over her middle stump. By the time she bowled out in the seventh, Kapp's figures read 4-0-8-1.
That Rodrigues left her mark as captain in a game they needed to win should give DC a fillip they need to keep their playoff hopes alive. Their campaign hasn't been a smooth sail so far, but they need to look no further than their captain for inspiration when pushed to a corner.