Delhi Capitals spinner Kuldeep Yadav played down worries about the team’s top-order problems, saying that it’s not necessary to “press the panic button” after just one game.
Before Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs put together a game-winning partnership to secure a six-wicket victory against Lucknow Capitals, the Delhi Capitals had a rough start to their tournament opener, suffering a top-order collapse.
Nitish Rana was dismissed while attempting an aggressive stroke after scoring 15, Pathum Nissanka (1) failed to get going, while opener KL Rahul went for a first-ball duck.
“Look Nitish has also been playing for many years, he is an experienced player in the IPL, he has given many performances. After that, Nissanka, obviously you know what kind of batsman he is, what his calibre is. So I feel there is no need to panic in this. There was no such talk either. It was the first game, obviously you want a good start but sometimes it doesn’t happen. I’m sure they will perform well in the upcoming matches. So the panic button has not been pressed yet. When we lose five out of five, maybe the panic button will be pressed,” PTI quoted Kuldeep as saying on Friday, ahead of the match against Mumbai Indians.
Although DC lost four of their five games at their home ground, the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, previous season, Kuldeep voiced optimism that DC would do well at home in this season.
“We will play good cricket, obviously we will win five out of five as well. And there has been no discussion in the team regarding (losing 4 games here). We hope to perform well in the seven matches, it’s the home team, we play on the home ground and give that happiness to the fans. And we hope to win at least five out of seven.”
Kuldeep emphasized the importance of spinners staying true to their strengths under pressure, given that T20 cricket is increasingly favoring batters.
“Absolutely, it’s very important for spinners that whatever their strength is, to hold on to it. And whenever batsmen put you under pressure, you tend to leave your strength somewhere. You look for a safer option to get out of that situation. Still, I believe that you should focus on your strength.”
