Virender Sehwag has joined the latest list of casualties in the Delhi Daredevils ranks. The Delhi dasher was down with back spasms on the eve of the opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
“Sehwag is down with back spasms. We will take a call on him playing on Wednesday,” coach Eric Simons told a media conference.
If Sehwag is unavailable, it will certainly be a big blow for Daredevils, already missing Jesse Ryder and Kevin Pietersen. The loss of key players will give opportunities to young hopefuls like Unmukt Chand and Manprit Juneja, both of whom have had big knocks in recent domestic tournaments.
The coach felt bowlers like Umesh Yadav and Irfan Pathan have come out well after injury induced breaks. “Both played well in domestic tournaments and should be ready to go hard at the opposition,” he felt.
Gambhir confident
KKR captain Gautam Gambhir said the team was in a confident state of mind. “Being the defending champion does not add to the pressure. It gives us extra confidence. KKR is a very popular team off the field. Now is the time to play fearless cricket,” he said.
Gambhir said he would refrain from speaking about individuals in a team game. Cricket is a team sport, he said.
When asked weather West Indian Sunil Narine was his main weapon, Gambhir said, “It is all about the strategy to get someone to bowl at the right time or send someone in to bat. Not only Narine, bowlers like Jacques Kallis and Lakshmipathy Balaji, who was the most economical, also contributed to the team’s cause,” he pointed out.
