Delhi Daredevils’ owners took a huge gamble when they decided to build a team full of youngsters, but now one can say that their gamble has paid off. In fact, Delhi Daredevils are now one of the serious title contenders. Under the watchful eyes of Rahul Dravid they have been performing brilliantly.
They have not qualified for the playoffs in the past three editions but with 6 wins in ten matches, they are well on course to qualify for this year’s playoffs.
Nathan Coulter-Nile, the Australian pacer who has been with the franchise since 2014, credited Zaheer, Upton and Dravid as one of the reasons for the team’s turnaround this season, while he also said youngsters stepping up has helped the team’s cause.
“We’ve got a fantastic leadership group now, with Zaheer (Khan), Rahul Dravid’s come on and Paddy Upton. That’s obviously going to help a little bit. We’ve actually got a good group of young core Indians who are, I think, some of the best in India. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them play for India in the upcoming tournaments within 12 months. I think that does help. There’s just good, raw talent there now,” said Coulter-Nile, while addressing the media on the eve of their match against Mumbai Indians on Sunday (May 15).
Coulter-Nile, heaped praise on his skipper Zaheer Khan saying that his insights on the game and field placements have been absolutely spot-on.
“He’s fantastic. His cricket brain is unrivalled, I think, especially with the fields he sets and his thinking around what the batsman is thinking, and where they are going to try and hit the ball. When you’re seeing a bowlers meeting, and he’s talking about these plans and you’re not quite sure what’s going on. You really listen. He’s one of those blokes – when he talks, you really listen. I picked up a few different things, especially subcontinental fields and things like that. Hopefully next time I come to India, hopefully when I play for Australia or something, I can use that to my advantage,” Coulter-Nile said of Zaheer.
Dwelling into the conversations with Upton and Dravid, Coulter-Nile said:
“They’ve obviously got great cricket brains and like to think about things differently. But nothing is really formal. When you have a chat, you sit down and you have a coffee. It’s not like (them telling us) ‘this is what we want, this is what you need to do’. It’s very organic. Things just flow. They present ideas, you can present your ideas, and more ideas come from that. It’s nothing rigid or strict like that.”
One of the reasons for Delhi’s success in this season is the selection policy. The team management has selected players based on their forms and not names.And so when it comes to selection, nobody in the Delhi Daredevils set-up is guaranteed a spot in the team. Coulter-Nile, who has played only two matches this season, said adaptability is the key.
“It’s not that difficult. We train a lot and you obviously go to every game, so you still get the vibe and the feel around the boys. Probably the hardest thing is game time. Not getting enough game time consistently, but that’s the job you’re in. You’ve got to be adaptable and flexible, and everyone’s doing that,” he said.
Commenting on Delhi’s next rivals’ Mumbai Indians poor form in last two games, Coulter-Nile said that they will not take them lightly.
“I wouldn’t say they have problems. Everyone plays on the same pitch. I don’t think they are struggling any more than anyone else would. It looks like a difficult wicket. Maybe they read it a bit wrong last night with the toss, but they are a dangerous side. I don’t know if we’ve to do anything special. We just got to come and do what we do every other game,” Coulter-Nile said.