Delhi Capitals head scout Vijay Dahiya (right) with coach Ricky Ponting.
Another sublime all-round performance led the Delhi Capitals to regain the top spot in the points table of the ongoing Dream11 Indian Premier League on Friday. Having been invited to bat first on a high-scoring Sharjah pitch, Delhi Capitals posted 184-8, presumably a below-par score at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. However, the bowlers rose to the occasion and helped the team to bag their fifth victory of the season by a margin of 46 runs.
Speaking on the team's performance against Rajasthan, Delhi Capitals Head Scout, Vijay Dahiya was visibly pleased and said, "It was a team game played by the individuals - you play your role, you play your part or sometimes you do something extraordinary, and this is the whole crux of this team. This is what team is all about, that's what our boys are doing. I mean we are not dependent on one person, every game you see a different individual steps up, raises his hand and delivers for the team and that's what the whole quality of any team."
Talking about his team's next game against the Mumbai Indians, Dahiya believes, to overcome the challenge, his side will stick to their strengths. "I think it's going to be a tough game because we are playing back to back matches, and the last two have been the kind of games that have taken a lot out of us. If you look, the numbers don't really suggest the margin, but it has taken a lot out of the players mentally and physically. Mumbai is a top-class side, there's no doubt about that. They have won the championship many times, so I'm expecting a good game against them and that's what you want in this kind of competition - to play against the best," said Dahiya.
"I won't be predicting anything at this point, but I know that if we play to our strengths, we are good enough to challenge or beat anyone and that's what the whole idea is about - play to your strengths, the opposition will keep changing. We do respect whoever we meet in this tournament, but yes, more and more emphasis is on ourselves, and to just execute whatever we are practicing in the nets and planning in our meetings. If we can do that, we will get the desired results," added Dahiya.
Commenting on the demands of playing back-to-back matches, Dahiya said, "I guess there's no doubt about back-to-back matches proving to be challenging. Barring Dubai, the travel for us is over two hours for each match, and that's the main challenge you have here. Otherwise, when you are playing back home in India, there's more air-time, and you end up getting up early and then travelling to another city. So I think it's comparatively less taxing on your body here, and doesn't push you to the limits compared to what happens when you play in India."
"But yes, it is still demanding because we have different grounds, different mindsets, different surfaces and tough conditions. However, I believe our team is up for any kind of challenges thrown at them," signed-off Dahiya.
