Owning up blame for Delhi Daredevils’ pathetic run in the Indian Premier League, skipper Virender Sehwag said his own poor form has hit the team badly.
Delhi suffered its fifth defeat in seven matches when it lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by 17 runs, last night. They are languishing at the bottom of the points table.
“I have only got one fifty in the seven games. So I need to look at my performance also. If I get going it will be difficult for other teams to come back,” the Delhi skipper said.
Sehwag said he need to spend some time at the crease if his side has to do well.
“I’ll have to shoulder the responsibility and need to stay at the wicket for 12-15 overs. It will be good for my team,” he said.
The Delhi captain feels that some shuffling in the batting order has become imperative but defended his decision to send Travis Birt ahead of in-form Y Venugopal Rao in the match against KKR.
“We thought a left-hander would be a better option against left-arm spinner. But nothing seems to be going our way. None of our plans are working. T20 game is like that only. Probably we will send Venu and Naman Ojha up the order in the coming games,” he said.
Sehwag conceded that it’s now a herculean task for his team to reach the semifinals.
“It’s difficult and pressure is on us. We have to pull ourselves and really bat and bowl in coming games. Nothing is impossible. We can still back ourselves from here on and if we win two three games from here on, then it’s possible for us but yes it’s quite difficult.”
Gambhir praises bowlers
Meanwhile, KKR captain Gautam Gambhir lauded his bowlers for defending a modest total of 148.
“We just played very well as a team. We bowled and fielded well. It just goes to show how desperate we were for a victory. If we can continue like this, definitely it will help our campaign. I am satisfied with the all-round performance today,” he said.
About man-of-the-match Manoj Tiwary, who scored a 47-ball unbeaten 61 to help his team’s cause when wickets were falling at the other hand, Gambhir said, “He set the game for us.
Entire credit goes to him for setting the game for us. He played a good innings.”
Gambhir said since they saved 15-20 runs through some terrific fielding, it meant that the opposition had to chase a score of around 160-165 runs.
“When you start defending the modest totals, it gives you confidence for the games ahead. We defended the target and it has acted like a confidence-booster for us,” he said.
He also defended Yusuf Pathan, who has been off-colour in this tournament so far.
“He has hardly played enough. He is hitting the ball good and till the time, he sticks to our gameplan, he remains a very important member of our scheme of things,” Gambhir insisted.
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