Delhi Capitals' (DC) assistant coach Mohammad Kaif shared an update on injured R Ashwin and Ishant Sharma. The off-spinner was hurt during the match against Kings XI Punjab and had to walk off the field after bowling one over.
Ashwin had left the field during the first match of Delhi Capitals after a shoulder injury. Kaif said that Ashwin's availability for the match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) isn't decided yet.
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"Plus point in this squad that we have a replacement ready, Ashwin will be going for practice today, we have not made a call on his availability if he is not fit to play tomorrow, Amit Mishra is there. We are monitoring both Ashwin and Ishant Sharma," said Kaif.
"Soft tissue injuries will take place a lot in this IPL as players are coming back after a long time, there are big grounds and there is a lot of running involved and you cannot match in training sessions," he added.
Ishant was injured during the training session, even before the tournament kicked off. Kaif shared an update and said, "Ishant had gone to the ground yesterday, he had a good run, he did not bowl, he is under observation, our physio is keeping a close eye on him but about his playing a match, that's a call we will take later."
Kaif also talked about giving an opportunity to every player and said the team management doesn't want to disturb the line-up currently. Delhi has Ajinkya Rahane as a back-up opener, but they would like to continue with the opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw currently.
"Shaw and Shikhar played well for us last year, we all know what Dhawan can do and Shaw is a very promising player, having played the first game, we know the conditions, even though we did not play that well but I see improvement happening in the upcoming matches.
"Rahane is a fantastic player, but if we have selected a team then we would like to give players a couple of matches, and then we would see it from there," said Kaif during a virtual press conference.
Marcus Stoinis was the hero for Delhi Capitals in the first match against Kings XI Punjab. He scored 53 runs off 21 deliveries and also picked two wickets off the last two deliveries to tie the game. Eventually, KXIP won the match in the super over.
"Marcus has been playing for his country for a long time now, he is very experienced, we needed someone like him, he is a perfect match for our team to float around and do a job for our side," the DC assistant coach said.
Kaif also commented on DC's choice after winning the toss. Are they always looking for the chase? "This year's IPL is different that's why the stats of past might not tell you the best story, you have to assess how the tournament is going, if its a big ground and if they are not able to chase targets, they might change their tactics. Dew factor is not that much right at this moment, players are coming back after a while so they might take some time in getting going."
"Lots of fast bowling at the moment, teams are giving fast bowlers a go in the first six overs to pick up wickets with the hardball. Then the spinners are coming into bowl, there has been something for the seamers on these wickets," he said.
(With ANI Inputs)
