Imran Tahir delighted to be a part of Indian Premier League

Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir, the man who nearly helped South Africa break their knock-out jinx in the recently concluded World Cup T20 in Bangladesh, has rightly been rewarded with an IPL contract by Delhi Daredevils. Coming in midway through the tournament, Tahir, speaking to the IPLT20.com, explained how the contract materialised and how it is like being with his new franchise.

“It happened very quickly. My wife and I recently had a baby boy, Gibraan, and I was changing nappies at home. But then Nathan Coulter-Nile got injured and I was told I might get the opportunity to come here and play for the Delhi Daredevils. And here I am. I want to play for my baby boy because he is the lucky charm,” he explains about the contract.

With just 2 wins in 10 games, the Daredevils are down and out of the tournament. Things weren’t much different when he joined the team a week back. When asked about how he felt initially entering the Delhi Daredevils camp, “What struck me first in that change room was how positive the vibe was. The team is struggling with the results and it has been very hard on everyone in there because things haven’t gone the way they were planned. But yet there is so much positivity in there.”

The leg-spinners have enjoyed good success in this IPL. When asked about who impressed him the most, “I thought the young guy we played against today (Yuzvendra Chahal) is really good. I think he has got very good control over his deliveries and although the wicket didn’t help the leg-spinners today, he showed how special he is by foxing a great batsman like Kevin Pietersen with turn and getting him stumped.”

The 35-year-old, who was on the receiving end of some lusty blows from Yuvraj Singh in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, was practical when asked about the kind of impact that the leggies can have in this format.

He said: “Having a leggie in his team will excite any captain, although you wouldn’t want one in your side on a wicket like this one. But overall, they are an exciting option for the captain because they give you variations, can change the game quickly and are not loath to trying out different things despite the risk of being hit.”

“Chahal, for example, went for runs today but he got Pietersen out with that beauty. That’s the excitement a leg-spinner brings to the game,” he added.

Tahir also had some good words to say about his Delhi Daredevils skipper Kevin Pietersen with whom he has played domestic cricket in South Africa, before Pietersen chose to snub South Africa for England.

He said: “I really think he (Kevin Pietersen) is a wonderful guy, and I am not saying this because he is the captain. I know him since the days I played with him in South Africa and I can say that he is a very easy going guy.

“I can discuss anything with him. He is one of the main reasons why the Daredevils camp is so positive despite not winning games and everyone is grateful for that. To boot all that, he is a great player too.”