Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani had to face the tough questions in the post-match press conference after his team lost to Chennai Super Kings in a home game on Tuesday. There was turn and grip for spinners but DC’s star spinner Kuldeep Yadav failed to deliver.
Kuldeep bowled three overs and conceded 34 runs without taking a wicket and commenting on his struggles this season, Badani said it is a matter of him finding form and keeping the faith.
“We would ideally want Kuldeep to be better than this, but we will rally around him as he has been a part of this side for many, many years. I think it is more the case of just about somebody striking form; he hasn’t struck peak form yet and hasn’t bowled at the speeds that he would normally bowl. I think it is a question of time, and we have faith in him.”
Opting to bat first, DC had a top-order collapsed and could manage to put 155 for 7 on the board. When asked if the decision to bat first backfired on a tricky wicket, Badani said the franchise has no influence on the wicket that the curator prepares.
“We don’t have any control over the surfaces. It is a lot easier for a side to field 20 overs and then understand what the surface would be when they bat second, and that is pretty much what happened. I thought the game was lost in the first 10 overs when we didn’t get enough; we were about 70 for 5, and you don’t want to be 70 for 5 even if it is a tough surface. It has been a bit of an up-and-down curve for us to understand what we are going to get at Delhi, which is our home. One game was a 265, but there is little control that any side has on surfaces,” he said.
Like Kuldeep’s poor form with the ball this season, DC captain Axar Patel is also going through a tough phase, especially with the bat. After another poor performance against CSK, the coach backed his skipper.
“As a side, you obviously don’t want to be 60 for 5 or 50 for 5; that is not the position any side wants to be, and if we are in that spot, the only option is to bring in a batter. With Axar, I think it is again a question of someone who has played cricket at the highest level, a double World Cup winner, and you give them the faith. I don’t think I would pinpoint Axar, as it is not one person; it is a team, and as a side, we will have to play better cricket.”
