With Pietersen back, predictable Delhi need a new game plan

The bowling looked promising, the batting line up looked stable, Quinton de Kock inspired confidence at the top, Jaydev Unadkat looked to pull off a beautiful last over, but in the end it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough because the effort put in the batsmen was overshadowed by the complacency showed on the field; a good start to the chase was done in by the runs conceded in the death overs. The team has looked steady more times than not but has failed to deliver in crucial situations. In an environment where the opposition produces such class acts in the field as Chris Lynn, Delhi Daredevils have dropped their chances at a frequency of the next Delhi metro. [caption id=“attachment_1498239” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] JP Duminy should have come up the order. BCCI[/caption] When asked about the reaction of Kevin Pietersen to the loss in the last match, De Kock remarked that the skipper was not at all happy and also seemed to suggest he was infuriated with the performance of some key players. The players must be reprimanded for such an atrocious performance but Pietersen would do well to remember that there is a very fine line between aggression and stupidity. A young squad needs inspiration and guidance to build its muscle and a secure environment to compete on the field. The final piece in the jigsaw seems to be missing and it would need some serious effort to put Delhi in the winning league. It’s a Herculean task which now awaits DD wherein they not only have to win most of their matches but by a good margin to improve on their Net Run-Rate which is worst amongst all teams. DD has stuck to a conservative approach with their batting line-up and their predictable games plans have been easily countered by the opposition. The team has floundered trying to ramp up the run-rate in the middle overs and the opposition looks to exploit this weak link with some tight overs. Also, DD has not unleashed their better batsmen in the crucial overs and that has been their undoing over the last couple of games. Not promoting JP Duminy at a stage where the required run-rate touched double digits while a rusty Pietersen proved to be the joker in the pack. Maybe this approach is the result of Gary Kirsten’s way of building a better squad in the long term. But other teams have done a quicker job of moulding their squad - KKR did so in 2011 and won the championship in 2012. DD need to build some momentum going into the next phase of their campaign. They need to pull all the strings together and start winning regularly. One hopes now that KP is back in the squad and once he adapts to the playing XI, the difference in the performance would be evident. A true Delhi fan now accustomed to disappointments would only want DD to compete to their abilities in the next set of matches starting with Mumbai Indians tomorrow.