THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
As the Delhi Capitals trained at the ICC Cricket Academy a few days ago, opener Shikhar Dhawan sat in a corner, in a yoga pose, meditating. It was a striking image and it took the mind back to the early noughties when burly Australian opener Matthew Hayden used to sit on the pitch ahead of Test matches and meditate on cricket.
It became an integral part of his pre-match routine and Hayden used to visualise cricketing shots, opposition bowlers steaming in to bowl, the trajectory, the swing, even before it happens, and working out the scenarios.
Dhawan may have been seeking the calm within, before the storm and perhaps visualising the Delhi Capitals’ date with destiny.
Qualifier 1 of this season’s IPL may have not panned the way they envisioned it, in fact, it was horrendous as the Delhi Capitals limped to a 57-run defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians, the defending champions.
Shreyas Iyer, their captain, put it matter-of-factly saying every night can’t be theirs. But he will be hoping that Sunday night in Abu Dhabi will be.
Finishing in the top two has its perks as the Delhi Capitals get another shot at redemption, another chance to go all the way to the summit where the Mumbai Indians presently sit.
But this will be a knockout and there won’t be any second chances when they face-off a red-hot, or rather, a orange-hot Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
History suggests they haven’t had a great time in playoffs or knockout situations, having lost six out of their seven. And worse, they lost both their league engagements against the Sunrisers this season.
But what could bring a bit of a smile on their faces would be that they got the better of David Warner’s side in last season’s Eliminator. The situation and conditions are different but it is something to hang on to.
And they are a different team to last year and an everimproving one at that, and in the capable hands of Iyer.
Iyer said that it was important to put the Mumbai defeat to the backburner and go in with a positive frame of mind.
“Going forward we have to make sure we come out with a solid mindset,” said Iyer.
Meanwhile, Marcus Stoinis, the team’s all-rounder, said that they would have to come up with a sterling effort to get past the Sunrisers.
“In these long tournaments, there’s a good chance most teams are going to go through those ebbs and flows but if you gave me this opportunity at the start of the season – that we’d finish second, and we’ve got one game to win to get into the final – I think everyone here would take that, so I think we’re going well. I think we’ve got to play some fearless cricket, and it’s a great opportunity for us,” said Stoinis.
Stoinis, who waged a lone battle against the Mumbai Indians, the other night, is in the midst of his most productive season in the IPL.
The Australian, who is in his second stint with the Capitals, having also turned out for Kings XI Punjab in between that, has so far scored 314 runs and taken nine wickets. And he’s glad that he has been able to contribute.
“It’s always nice to make runs, but it’s always better for the team when you win. So hopefully I’ll be doing everything that I can and prepare as well as I can. But at the end of the day, just hopefully we get that win,” he said.
And the 31-year-old won’t be short on motivation.
“The thought of some silverware, and a trophy for the Delhi Capitals’ franchise is all the motivation we need. So, like I said, there’s only two games left in the IPL – it’s been a long tournament, we’ve been away from family and friends, but this is what we play for – this is what every professional cricketer plays for – to win big competitions like the IPL, so motivation is always there,” he signed off.