"Back at his best" - Shane Watson on DC skipper David Warner's form in IPL 2023
Delhi Capitals (DC) assistant coach Shane Watson has pointed out that skipper David Warner's form with the bat in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) has been a big plus for the team.
Watson suggested that while Warner is yet to play a big knock, the way he has been batting lately shows that he is in good touch.
Speaking about the southpaw's batting exploits, here's what Watson said on the YouTube channel, 'The Grade Cricketer':
"It's been a good last couple of games. One of the things that stood out for me has been David Warner. He is back at his best. Yes, he hasn't got any really big scores. But just the way he is hitting the ball and taking the game on is something that is a big thing for us."
The cricketer-turned-coach reserved high praise for Delhi's bowlers, noting how they helped them secure two back-to-back wins. Watson opined that DC will be a force to be reckoned with once their batters come up with an improved performance, adding:
"Over the last two games, the DC bowlers have been absolutely incredible. We haven't scored the biggest totals, but for us to be able to defend the last game against SRH, which has got a world-class batting lineup, shows the calibre of our bowlers. If our batting side can just get a few more runs a little bit quicker, then we are going to be very hard to beat."
Notably, DC were off to a disastrous start in the competition, suffering five successive losses. Their campaign seems to be back on track now with two wins. However, they are still languishing at the bottom of the points table.
"Doesn't happen very often in the IPL" - Shane Watson on DC playing back-to-back matches against SRH
Delhi secured a crucial seven-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their previous fixture, successfully defending a 145-run target. The two sides are set to lock horns once again on Saturday, April 29.
Shane Watson emphasized that SRH will be low on confidence after failing to chase down a sub-par target. He stated that DC have a chance of capitalizing on this and claiming yet another win.
He added:
"It doesn't happen very often in the IPL that you play a team back-to-back. We knew that if we are able to get one up against the Sunrisers, knowing we are going to be playing them again straight away, and the way they lost by not being able to chase down 140-odd, hopefully, that just dismantles the whole franchise (laughs) and we can get another win."
Watson also mentioned that while Delhi have not had an ideal start to the competition, in the past there have been teams who have managed to reach the playoffs after an underwhelming first half, elaborating:
"We are not where we would like to be for sure, but there have been teams in the past who have sort of started off not so good and get on a run then and it can be very hard to beat. I was at RCB, where we made the final and qualified first for the final as well. We were nowhere and we were struggling. We had to win seven out of eight games to make it through and we made it."
The contest between DC and SRH will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. David Warner and Co. will aim to continue their winning streak as they look to stage a turnaround in the second half of IPL 2023.