Deccan Chargers coach Darren Lehmann believes that the 2012 edition of the Indian Premier League should be an ideal platform for the young talent in the team to showcase their skills and in the process also help the team to script a winning story.
Speaking ahead of the IPL-V, beginning on April 4, the 42-year-old Lehmann said that the main characteristics which should make the Chargers outfit a force to reckon with are its all-round strength, depth in bowling and batting, and the remarkable camaraderie amongst the players.
“I am not very concerned at the prospect of playing on so many grounds. This time we don't have a fixed ‘home' venue as Vizag and Cuttack will host two matches each and the remaining four will be in Hyderabad,” said Lehmann.
“Playing home games at three venues means constantly changing your preparation, strategy and combination because of the different nature of the wickets. But again, the fact that we play the away games on different pitches, like all other teams in the IPL, should make the players adjust as quickly as possible,” he explained. “I am pleased to have such talented players,” he added.
Parthiv to keep
“We have decided that Parthiv Patel will keep wickets and Kumar Sangakkara will be there as a specialist batsman besides being the leader of the team. He will miss only the first game because of his commitment for Sri Lanka against England but will be available for the rest of the IPL for us,” Lehmann said.
“I am not worried about the indifferent form of any player. It is just a question of clicking as a unit on a given day. In this T20 format all that you need is a couple of guys to come good and the others to provide support in bits and pieces. So, essentially I am looking for each of the member to respond correctly to a given situation,” Lehmann stated.
No Ishant Sharma
“We will definitely miss Ishant Sharma (who will be out of action for the next few weeks because of a rehab programme following an ankle surgery). But it is an opportunity for the younger and inexperienced bowlers to use the chances that come their way,” pointed out the former Aussie cricketer, who guided Chargers to a title-triumph in the 2009 edition.
The Chargers coach also believes that the Australian all-rounder Daniel Christian (who had indifferent season last year scoring just 190 runs from 14 games) should be a totally different player this time with his confidence high after impressive performances for the national side in the recent games.
“We do look up to Daniel along with Bharat Chipli, Shikhar Dhawan and Ravi Teja also to come good,” he remarked.
“The mood is upbeat and we will play attacking and entertaining cricket to become the champions again,” he added.
