Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Kotla good to bat on, but hard on bowlers: Sehwag

April 24, 2011 09:02 IST

Relieved after getting their campaign back on track with a 29-run victory over Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag expressed hope that is team will maintain the winning momentum in the IPL.

Daredevils had a roller-coaster start in the fourth edition of the IPL, losing their initial two matches, winning the third and losing to Deccan Chargers in the fourth.

- Scorecard

"If you look at the IPL teams, most of them lose a couple of matches, then win couple of them and get the momentum going, so hopefully we too will win from here on," Sehwag said after the match.

Sehwag was all praise for the Feroz Shah Kotla wicket, though he said it was a little hard on the bowlers.

"It was good to bat on; the ball comes nicely on to the bat. It is hard on the bowlers. Twenty20 is like that. We have plenty of good fast bowlers, and we can rotate them, and play well at home," he said.

He also heaped praise on young Varun Aaron, who scalped the important wicket of Punjab skipper Adam Gilchrist in the 11th over.

"Aaron is exceptional; he is very good bowler, he has got pace and he was bowling good at nets. If you are defending 230-plus any bowler will go for runs but he is good bowler and bowls good yorkers too," he said.

Kings XI skipper Gilchrist said there were a couple of little things that Delhi did better than Punjab and that made the difference on the day.

"It is an exciting day for the crowd, it was a belter, and there were short boundaries. Two or three little things we did wrong, and this is where Delhi hurts us," the Australian said.

"But there are plenty of things to take home, plenty of positives. It was an entertaining day of cricket," he added.

Man of the Match David Warner, who cracked 77 off 48 balls and was also sharp on the field, said the wicket was very good to bat on.

"It was a good wicket, similar as home. The ball was coming perfectly. You get in there and practice strange hitting, you got to back yourself up to hit the distance," he said.

"I have had to learn my game a bit in the IPL. Here I am playing a different role and last couple of matches I tried to hang in there a bit and give myself a little bit more time," he added.

© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.