“Sign of a big team is when players are ready to grab the opportunity”- Chetan Sakariya on Delhi capitals coping with Rishabh Pant’s absence
Chetan Sakariya is among a number of quality Indian pace options that the Delhi Capitals (DC) have for the IPL 2023 season. Having just missed out on the playoffs last season, the Capitals will definitely be keen to improve their performance this time.
However, they suffered a huge blow when their captain and star wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant injured himself in a horrific car accident, ruling him out for the entire season. They will miss him dearly because of his match-winning ability and will find it difficult to replace his quality.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Chetan Sakariya spoke about how the youngsters in the DC squad are looking at this situation. He shed light on how important it is for others to step up in Rishabh Pant's absence and said:
"Not having Rishabh bhai is a huge loss but the sign of a big team is that when players are ready to grab the opportunity with both hands in order to show what they're capable of. I do believe there are youngsters in the team who will step up and prove their mettle, just as we did with Saurashtra in the absence of Jaydev bhai (Unadkat) and Cheteshwar bhai (Pujara)."
Sakariya also opened up on the skill camp that he is a part of at the moment and what all he has learned so far from DC's Director of Cricket and former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. He added:
"It is a skill camp (for Delhi Capitals) for now and we are all working on the areas that we felt we lacked last season. Sourav bhai has observed our game closely and has given us clear instructions that we have to go for wickets in the powerplay and not think of being defensive. When you pick wickets in the powerplay then it becomes easier for the other bowlers in the middle overs to execute their plans."
Smiles galore when the band gets back together 🤩
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Chetan Sakariya on David Warner
David Warner has been appointed as DC's captain in Pant's absence and this could be a great move as he has already won the IPL 2016 with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Although Chetan Sakariya hasn't interacted much with Warner, he believes that the combination of the Australian opener with head coach Ricky Ponting will be key for the Capitals. He stated:
"Whenever we are on the ground, he (Warner) helps me with the strategies and advises on what can be done in that situation. Although we haven't interacted much, I do believe that his and Ricky sir's experience will be crucial for us this season. They know what combinations to play in which conditions and what is the strength of each player in the squad."
With Shardul Thakur having been traded to the Kolkata Knight Riders, DC could well depend on Chetan Sakariya this season to provide breakthroughs in different phases of the game.