IPL 2021: DC Fortunate to have quality Indian players with international experience, says Mohammad Kaif

Sharjah: The presence of many quality Indian players with international experience has been a boon for Delhi Capitals this IPL season, the team’s assistant coach Mohammad Kaif said on Friday. The assistant coach stressed the importance of having quality Indian players in their team. “Having quality Indian players in a franchise is the key for any franchise. We are lucky to have some quality Indian players and we are also fortunate to have quite a few Indian players who play international cricket,” Kaif said. “If there are seven Indian players, who have been playing in the IPL regularly and understand their roles and responsibilities, then that’s a huge benefit for any team.” Second-placed Delhi Capitals are in no mood to experiment and will look to field their best playing XI in every match, he said. Delhi Capitals will look to get back into winning ways when they take on Mumbai Indians at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday. The Delhi franchise, which has registered eight wins in 11 matches, is just one win away from confirming a place in the playoffs. During a virtual conference, Kaif said that the team’s main focus in the match against Mumbai Indians will be to put up a good performance with the bat. “The key focus for us in the match against Mumbai Indians will be our batting. Whether we bat first or second, we have to bat well. Mumbai is a great team to play against. All the players are always excited to play against Mumbai Indians,” Kaif said. “We have performed well collectively this season. Different players are stepping up in different matches and situations. We are lucky to have so many match-winners and hopefully, someone will stand up for the team again in the match against Mumbai,” he added. Asked if the Delhi franchise will look to give opportunities to a few players on the bench in the next few matches since the team is in a good position on the table, Kaif responded in the negative. “We have not qualified yet. Funny things happen in the IPL and we are very much aware of it. We have to keep getting better as there is always room for improvement. We are sitting at the second spot on the table, but we have to keep working hard. We have to play our best team in every match.” While speaking about the change in the pace of the wicket in Sharjah this year, Kaif said that the players should take up the challenge of scoring runs on a difficult pitch. “The pitch in Sharjah has been a bit more on the slower side this year. However, the players must take up the challenge of batting on difficult pitches, where it’s tough to score runs. The team which accepts the challenge of scoring runs on a difficult pitch will win.”