IPL 2024: Sourav Ganguly hopes Delhi Capitals’ batting comes to the fore against Rajasthan Royals
DC’s Director of Cricket says their bowling is their strength and if their batters can improve and win more matches
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After a false start to their IPL 2024 campaign, Delhi Capitals (DC), led by Rishabh Pant, will hope to get their campaign back on track when they take on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on March 28.
DC lost to Punjab Kings (PBKS) by four wickets, and the franchise’s Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly, said if the team can improve on their batting, they can back their bowlers to win matches. “What needs to get better is we need to bat well, and if you do it, you will win a lot of matches because we do have that bowling,” he said.
Ganguly opined that Ishant Sharma’s unavailability for the first match was where they lost the plot and, subsequently, the match. “It’s just the early part of the tournament. We worked hard before the season, and hopefully, we will play well. The first game in Chandigarh didn’t go our way because we lost Ishant, but that’s the way it is in T20s. It’s a new game tomorrow,” he said.
The former Indian captain said that their bowling unit is now bolstered with the return of Ishant and Anrich Nortje, and the team is raring to go. “We are full strength now, with Nortje back in the side. With Nortje, Khaleel, Mukesh and Ishant back in the team and fit, and with two spinners Axar and Kuldeep, our bowling is definitely our strength. With Rishabh back as well, the batting has got stronger than what it was last year because in IPL if you lose a major Indian player, it becomes a big hole to fill,” the southpaw opined.
Ganguly takes heart from the fact that Delhi Capitals’ record against Rajasthan Royals is good but refused to read too much into it as both teams know their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses well, thanks to playing each other many times. “They are a good team, there’s no doubt about it. Our record against them is also good over the years. When you play the same teams over and over again every year, there will be times when you lose and there will be times when you win, so it’s a new day tomorrow. We have the players who can perform, and hopefully will do it tomorrow,” he concluded.
