The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : We are a win away from the semifinals

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We are a win away from the semifinals

We have a batting line-up that can chase down any score, writes Glenn McGrath

— Photo: AP

GOOD TIDINGS: With Virender Sehwag fit to play, Delhi Daredevils will back itself to win against Deccan Chargers.

First there’s the good news and then there is more good news. We are very pleased to be at the top of the heap, that too with a game in hand, which means we are a win away from a semifinal berth.

The other bit of good news is that Virender Sehwag is fit to play on Wednesday, well in time for the decisive phase of the tournament. Viru’s return might mean that David Warner, who has been really superb, will have to make way for Daniel Vetto ri.

However, a final call will be made only on Wednesday.

Our game against Kolkata was surprisingly easy the other day. I met John Buchanan and he seemed okay, though I am sure that the string of defeats would hurt.

Jell as a team

He is more a manager than a coach in the side but I am not sure what exactly went wrong for a team that had so many quality players. Perhaps they just were not able to pull their weight round to jell as a team.

The other problem about T20 is that it’s very hard to build momentum once you start losing. On Sunday, Kolkata Knight Riders looked low on energy, momentum and confidence.

They are at present a team that is finding ways to lose, and this can be an extremely hard time for the players. Kolkata just need to stop fearing defeat and start enjoying their game. They have nothing more to lose now, so they must go and have a great time.

A team that was in an identical situation last year was Deccan Chargers. However, they have been the comeback kids this time. Adam Gilchrist has always been an exceptionally gifted player and leader, and he has been handling the local players really well this time round.

Formidable batting

The team did go through a slump, but the resurgence of Dwayne Smith and the arrival of Andrew Symonds have re-fuelled them. Take Gilly’s talent, Symonds’ power and the form of Rohit Sharma and Dwayne Smith, you have a very formidable batting line-up.

It’s crucial to get these wickets quickly if we want to confirm our ticket to the semifinals. We have a batting line-up that can chase down any score, but our bowlers need to show some class.

The big news over the last couple of days is the reporting of Kamran Khan and Amit Singh for suspect action. I did not see too much of Amit but when I saw Kamran, I thought his action was interesting, to say the least.

I am glad that the tournament is being played and watched seriously, because it’s important that we correct the younger players in the fray immediately because it benefits them in the long run.

Gameplan

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