The Delhi Capitals players, who have lost their first three games of the IPL 2023 season, have received some consoling news amid all the disappointment expressed publicly by the head coach and team owner while ahead of their fourth game, against Mumbai Indians, batting coach Pravin Amre had confidence in the players.
The Delhi Capitals players, who have lost their first three games of the IPL 2023 season, have received some consoling news amid all the disappointment expressed publicly by the head coach and team owner.
That weren’t merely defeats. Lucknow Super Giants, Gujarat Titans, and Rajasthan Royals eased past their challenge rather comfortably, enough to almost make it seem like DC was not even in contention for a win.
Batting has been a massive letdown, fielding has been patchy and the bowling has lacked aggression. However, ahead of their fourth game, against Mumbai Indians, batting coach Pravin Amre had confidence in the players. He doesn’t look too far beyond Mumbai Indians, their next opponents, and draws inspiration from their 2015 title-winning campaign.
“We are currently focusing on the present and we are looking forward to our match against Mumbai Indians,” Amre said on Monday, in New Delhi.
“And the fact that we are playing at home is a plus point for us. IPL is a long tournament, we’ve seen that teams have lost seven (five) games but still managed to win the championship.
“As a coaching group as well, we believe in this team. We’ve retained 20 players. We know these boys. It’s not like we don’t know their ability. It happens sometimes in big tournaments where you don’t start well. But it’s important how you finish. We believe in this team.”
Many issue with batting need to be addressed. Except for David Warner, none of the batters in the top order have stayed long enough to make an impact. And despite scoring two half-centuries, DC’s captain has scored runs at an abysmally slow rate of 117.04.
With only 19 runs in three innings, his opening partner, Prithvi Shaw, has had it worse. Amre has continued to believe in the DC opener and expects him to come good soon.
“Prithvi is a capable batter. But yes, he hasn’t delivered according to our expectations. We are hopeful that he will deliver for us in the coming matches. We all know that he has the ability, it’s a matter of where he clicks.”
DC has registered 47/2, 52/2, and 38/3 in the Power Play in the first three games. While two out of three may appear like good starts, those were only made possible by the extra runs the bowlers gave up. Amre acknowledged the need to enhance the power play performance.
“We have to work on our power play game with the bat,”
he said.
“When your top four batters get runs, then your team is in a different position. We will see who will get those runs for our team.
“We are looking to see how we can get that balance in the power play – where the aggression and caution are also maintained. 50 for 1 is also a good score, and how we can achieve that is what’s going to matter in the coming matches, and that’s something our think tank can work on.”
Axar Patel’s recent impressive form, which included a sharp 36 against Gujarat Titans, has been one of the silver linings in the batting department. Amre acknowledged that the think tank could consider providing him a more significant role with the bat this season.
“We have a good option with Axar. He has been with us for five years now. The way he has batted for India was remarkable. He is a candidate, especially since he is a left-hander. It’s been on our minds on how we can utilize him best.”
