On conditions and playing in Dharamshala
Well, firstly, as an Englishman, I’m loving the nice, cool conditions. That’s a good start. But I think, no, we know what a beautiful place to come and play. I think when you see it on your fixture list that you’re going to come here, I think everyone was excited about it.
So obviously, we’ll try and adapt to the conditions. That’s what training will be about today, get some clarity, and certainly know how we’re going to bat and bowl. But yeah, really looking forward to the game. It’s a beautiful place to play and the guys are excited.
Like I said, it’s one of the most beautiful grounds in the world, so we’re really happy to be here. I haven’t quite looked at the pitch myself just now, but we’re obviously coming straight here. I’ve played here before internationally and it was always a good cricket wicket, so expecting more of the same. Hopefully a good batting strip and a really entertaining game for the fans in this area.The hospitality has been fantastic, so really looking forward to a good game of cricket.
On DC’s season so far and way forward
I think you just described it quite well. It’s been inconsistent. I think we sit here now and you look at a few games where we had our opportunities, and I think when you play in the IPL and at the highest level of cricket against world-class players, you have to take those moments, and we probably haven’t done that ruthlessly enough.
I think you have to be at this level. Like I said, we were in a lot of games and we lost those big moments. At this level you need to be consistent, and that’s the conversations we’ve been having.
We’ve got three big games, I think, for individuals and for the franchise. It’s really important that we come here now with the expectation of winning the next three games. That’s really important and the focus of the team.
We’re very proud to represent DC, and the players will play everything for the badge and the fans. I think that’s really important for the rest of the season. We want to finish as high on the table as we possibly can, and that positivity is really important. But becoming more consistent is going to be really important for the team, not just for the end of the season but moving forward as well.
On dew and toss factor
I’m sure there’s going to be more discussions on that. Obviously at the moment, let’s see how training goes. We have a nice training session now, see how much dew comes down over the next few hours.
There’s already a lot of information that we look at, and we’ll have a look at the surface. As I said, I’ve come straight here without looking at it yet, so it’s a difficult question to answer. But we’ll do everything we can.
But I think the most important thing for us now, regardless of conditions and toss, is playing our best possible game with bat, ball and field, and putting in a performance that is more consistent.
On Mitchell Starc’s impact
It’s been amazing to have him around, the presence he has. We obviously know his quality, and we watched it through the Ashes as well, how good he is. It’s great to have him halfway through. We would have loved him from the first game, but injuries do happen.
I’m sure he’ll really enjoy these conditions. It’s a shame in the last couple of games we haven’t given him enough runs to really affect the game with the ball, which has been disappointing from our point of view.
He’s brilliant with his knowledge for the younger cricketers, not just bowlers but batters as well. He’s a proper professional, works extremely hard. When you watch him in the nets, he’s at full tilt. He doesn’t cruise through sessions.
When you watch the top players, the way they train is absolutely fantastic, and it’s great for the younger players to see how they go about their business.
On KL Rahul and batting inconsistency
I think with KL, like any good player, you’re always trying to improve, wherever you are in your career. I think that’s really important. The best players are always looking at how they get better.
I think he’s obviously recognised that he wanted to play with a bit more intent, and we’ve seen the numbers this year. They’ve been a huge step forward. But he’s a class player. The way he thinks about the game, the way he trains, he’s been a pleasure to be around and he’s led us with the bat incredibly well.
It would be nice to have more consistent performers alongside him as well. I think the reason the batting has been like that is we’ve just been too inconsistent. There have been days where we’ve scored 260, and then the following game we get bowled out for 70. You can’t afford that at this level.
I do believe in the talent in the group, but at IPL level, international level, you have to take those big moments and win them. You always have to be consistent.
We want to give the players as much freedom as possible. We want to be an aggressive side. We know where the game is going and what you need in a powerplay these days. But you also need to read the surfaces, especially in Delhi. We’ve seen how different the pitch can be through the season, so you have to adapt.
I think the best players do that. It’s just the inconsistency, not a lack of talent. Like I said, we’ve had the extremes this year. It shows we have the power to get big scores, but also the lows, which at this level you need to avoid.
On approach and conditions
I’ll have to have a look at the surface. Like I said, if there’s dew around, then chasing is always a good option. But without looking at the surface properly, it’s difficult to say.
But again, like we’ve seen in the IPL this year, there are so many big scores. What is a safe score anymore in T20 cricket?
So I need to assess the conditions properly and speak to the guys. But as I said, we’re looking forward to putting on a positive, aggressive performance with bat, ball and in the field.
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