IPL 2023: INJURIES to the likes of Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer have taken away a bit of charm from the Indian Premier League (IPL) as these players are irreplaceable, said Delhi Capitals Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly, ahead of their first home match of the season against defending champions Gujarat Titans.
“Players like Rishabh, Shreyas and Bumrah are not easily replaceable in franchise tournaments because the best gets distributed to all the teams,” Ganguly told reporters.
“I see this as an opportunity for someone to become better. Rishabh became better because MS finished playing. That’s the way players are produced.
“Bumrah came in because he got an opportunity to play. It is going to be the same with a lot of young players in this tournament.
“You are seeing Shubman and Ruturaj playing well. There are a few around in other teams who will stand up and play well. Rishabh will be missed. But for us and himself, the most important thing is his recovery.”
Rishabh Pant’s injury has created a massive void in the Delhi Capitals team. The franchise had shown faith in Sarfaraz Khan in their first match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and the part-time keeper was found out. On a Lucknow surface, where there was variable bounce, Sarfaraz looked all at sea keeping to Kuldeep. With Delhi playing their seven home matches at Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket Stadium, where the ball generally keeps low, it would be a massive gamble if Sarfaraz continues to don gloves.
Is Sarfaraz the answer for Delhi?
Sourav Ganguly kept his cards close to his chest and gave a diplomatic answer when asked about whether Sarfaraz will last the entire season as wicketkeeper? “You will find out about it tomorrow,” Ganguly said.
The former India captain also defended Sarfaraz and said it would be “unfair” to judge him after just one game.
“The game has changed. You look at keepers who can bat. It’s an all-round position.
“Sarfaraz has kept wickets for Mumbai in Vijay Hazare this season. At this level, obviously, pressure is different. But he has kept in one match. You can’t pass judgment on him so quickly,” he said.
Citing the example of Rahul Dravid, Ganguly also took credit for setting the trend of keepers who can contribute with the bat.
“You look at all the teams. They all have keepers who can contribute with the bat. I tried it with Dravid when I was a captain, that trend keeps continuing and we hope that you get an extra batting option,” he said.
Ganguly also didn’t rule out the fact that Delhi Capitals could use a specialist wicketkeeper coming in as an “Impact Player.” He said: “Different teams will use the Impact Player differently based on their strengths and weaknesses. That’s a possibility.”
Anrich Nortje returns for Capitals
Sourav Ganguly said both Anrich Nortje and his South African compatriot Lungi Ngidi have arrived and are available for selection on Tuesday.
Delhi Capitals’ pace attack trio of Mukesh Kumar, Chetan Sakariya and Khaleel Ahmed lacked bite at the back end of Lucknow’s innings.
“Nortje is here. It is not a worry because Khaleel and Mukesh bowled well. Sakariya bowled really well in the first 2 overs. He leaked runs in the last 2 overs. But that can happen in T20. We have the attack. It was just the first game,” he said.
Shaw-Sarfaraz’s vulnerability against pace
Indian youngsters Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan looked vulnerable against the searing pace of Mark Wood. Both looked uncomfortable and short of ideas as one didn’t have his bat come down in time while the other just managed to avoid a head injury while getting into a tangle, playing the ramp shot.
However, Ganguly backed the duo, saying even Mitch Marsh failed to get going against Wood.
“Everyone has to learn to play fast bowling. They are good. It is just that they got out. Shaw has scored runs against genuine pace in the past. It is just one ball that went through him. Even Mitch Marsh, who has played fast bowling all his life, got out early to Wood. You have got to give credit to Mark Wood for the way he bowled,” he said.