Delhi Daredevils are languishing at the bottom of the points table, but the good thing for them is that as many as five of the remaining six games in IPL-10 are at home and the one they have to travel for, is a short distance to Kanpur
Delhi Daredevils players. Pic/AFP
Delhi Daredevils are languishing at the bottom of the points table, but the good thing for them is that as many as five of the remaining six games in IPL-10 are at home and the one they have to travel for, is a short distance to Kanpur. Little wonder then that their coach Rahul Dravid is hopeful of a turnaround. He feels that the team can still pick themselves up in the final stretch at home and make it to the playoffs.
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"Our performance has hit the trough after the debacle in Mohali on Sunday afternoon. Things can only improve from here, especially as we will be playing most of our games at home. But the young players need to show resilience. There is no doubt that the team has many talented young players, but they have lacked consistency. They have shown glimpses of their prowess only in patches. Hopefully, the team will get their act together and start winning matches," Dravid said on his floundering team’s chances.
Delhi take on defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad, who on Sunday night had outplayed Kolkata Knight Riders at Feroz Shah Kotla today. With the type of form Sunrisers and their captain David Warner are in, it is surely going to take some effort to initiate a turnaround for Daredevils.
There is no doubt that Daredevils have been hit badly by injuries. Even before the start of the tournament JP Duminy and Quniton de Kock were injured and that has been debilitating for the team. Recovering Angelo Matthews is a pale shadow of his former self. Their replacement overseas players have not been up to it. Moreover, their best spinner in initial matches Shahbaz Nadeem missed a few matches due to an injury and finally skipper Zaheer Khan had to miss a game due to sore hamstring.
Of course, the injury to star players has meant ample opportunities for young players like Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair. However, barring a knock or two, they have not been consistent and as a result the team has suffered.
Besides, the team management has been reluctant to use ace pace bowler Mohammed Shami, who has played just two games. It’s difficult to say if Shami, who is coming back after ankle surgery, is being shielded keeping the forthcoming Champions Trophy in mind or that just he does not fit into the scheme of things of the team think-tank. But with Zaheer under the weather, hopefully he will get more matches which will enable him to get his rhythm back.
Dravid, who is the coach of the India A team also and many of the Daredevils youngsters have been part of that team, has giving these youngsters a long rope. Now it is up to them to repay the faith their mentor has shown in them. Their consistent performance will not only further their career, but also help the team’s cause.
Though at the bottom of the points table, Daredevils are down but not out. If the team can somehow pick themselves up and start winning matches in their own backyard, they can still hope to finish in top-four.
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