Dubai: Indian Premier League (IPL) side Delhi Capitals have hit the ground running in their pre-season camp under assistant coaches Pravin Amre and Ajay Ratra at the ICC Academy in Dubai, ahead of the second half of the IPL scheduled to commence on September 19.
Amre said that that the team is looking to get used to the conditions and the wickets in the UAE.
“It’s going to be humid when the season resumes and it is important for the players to get used to the wickets and conditions here in the UAE. Credit to the DC (Delhi Capitals) management for sending us here early, so that we have enough time to prepare well with the conditions on offer,” said Amre.
Shreyas Iyer, who missed out on the first half of the season due to a shoulder injury, reached Dubai a week earlier than the rest of the team to work on his game with Amre.
The assistant coach said that Iyer has regained full fitness and is hitting the ball well in the nets. “It’s always hard for any cricketer to come back after an injury. Our entire team, especially Delhi Capitals’ strength-and-conditioning coach Rajinikanth Sivagnanam, assistant physio Dhananjay Kaushik and physio Patrick Farhart worked hard when Shreyas was undergoing rehabilitation.
“Even the National Cricket Academy played an important role during Shreyas’ recovery period. Getting his shoulder strength back was important for him and he has been hitting the ball as long as anybody in the nets,” said Amre.
Amre said that the Delhi Capitals, who are currently at the top of the table with 12 points from eight matches, will look to start from scratch in the second half of the tournament.
“We have to look at the remainder of the season as a fresh one. There has been a long break after the first half and we will be playing in different conditions and wickets. We are looking to start from scratch and not show any complacency after a brilliant performance in the first half of the tournament. We will look to play with the same intensity that we showed in our first match of the VIVO IPL 2021 against Chennai Super Kings,” said the assistant coach.
Delhi Capitals will take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22.
(IANS)
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