DAREDEVILS SET TO LOSE DE KOCK TO FINGER INJURY

Delhi Daredevils is set to lose another key player from their ranks for the upcoming Indian Premier League edition.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock could be the second South African player to withdraw from the IPL after injuring his finger during the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington.

De Kock’s SA and Delhi Daredevils teammate JP Duminy had earlier withdrawn from the IPL due to personal reasons.

De Kock is a doubtful starter for the third and final Test against New Zealand at Hamilton, starting Saturday.

De Kock had hurt his right index finger while batting on the third day of the second Test. He continued batting despite the blow, scans revealed ligament damage to the top joint of his finger.

The team management is assessing whether de Kock would be able to play without any pain for the final Test.

IN GOOD FORM

Iyer had a slow start to this firstclass season but found his touch at the business end. He more than made up for his poor early returns in domestic matches with solid performances against Bangladesh and Australia, carving a hundred and a double respectively.

“It’s all about peaking at the right time, all good cricketers manage that. The warm-up match against Australia was the most important game for him. It came bang in the middle of the zonal Twenty20 matches but we focused our preparations entirely on the Australia game and it has paid off,” said Amre.

Rahane too could be asked to shoulder the responsibility of standing in for Kohli. “You never plan for that (captaincy due to injury), it’s really important for India’s chances that Kohli plays but, that’s cricket…” said Amre

“Rahane has earned every thing by performing consist ently, the vice-captaincy was also through sheer performan ces. He goes about his work silently, and when you perform that player also earns the respect of his teammates. To captain India in a Test is the biggest honour.”