Kings XI Punjab's Manzoor Dar, who became only the second cricketer from Jammu & Kashmir to participate in the Indian Premier league, has quoted his appreciation towards Skipper Ravichandran Ashwin's immense experience, pointing out that the ace spinner has got the right vision to identify and allocate players to positions where they can deliver their best.
"Ashwin has played a lot of cricket for the country and has also represented India overseas. He is amongst the top bowlers and has also got the right vision to use a player in a way where he can deliver his best" Manzoor Dar said.
So far, Kings XI Punjab have come up with remarkable performances, winning five out of the seven games they have played this season, consistently maintaining their position in the upper half of the league table.
The 24-year-old Manzoor who got his maiden pick in this auction continued to shower praise on Ashwin's leadership, saying, "It's good to have a captain who works sharply with his mind and who knows when to take a necessary decision."
He also added that Ashwin's experience of playing under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni has helped him to learn a lot - something the spin bowler is utilising here for KXIP.
"In T20, a captain has a greater role to play and Ashwin, who has played a lot with Dhoni, has learned a lot from him and is doing a very well job for all of us (KXIP)."
Talking about KXIP's performance this season, the middle order batsman from J&K, who has not yet got a game in his kitty says, "Right now, everything is going good and we will try to maintain that. We'll improve further and our aim is to win as many matches as we can to finish at the top of the league table."
"We have a fully packed team with a variety of options for each slot, which is good. So far our team has played very well. We are doing well in bowling as well as fielding."
"Our opening pair is the best. In batting, we have the most dangerous T20 batsman - Chris Gayle, who's doing very well and we have seen Kl Rahul's capability too. Our Indian players like Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair are also making a contribution from their end."
Manzoor also backed the recent performances of Aaron Finch and Yuvraj Singh which have been quite poor according to their standards, saying that they haven't got enough opportunities to find the correct momentum.
"Yuvraj and Finch are very big players; they have achieved so much in the game that they need not be given any piece of advice for improvement. It's just that they have not got enough chances because the top order is clicking well. But they will improve and hopefully, in coming games, they will do well to make our team even stronger."
Talking about 17-year-old teen sensation Mujeeb Ur Rahman from Afghanistan, who is gaining a lot of praise for his performance in the ongoing season of Indian Premier league, Manzoor stated, "Though he is young, but the way he bowls is amazing. Especially his performance in the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore is something that can't be described in words."
In the second league game of Indian Premier league, Mujeeb was at his very best and he continuously troubled Virat Kohli beating him multiple times and later finding his price wicket.
"Virat plays with a straight bat and is very focused on batting, but to beat him (Kohli) with his deliveries shows how much talented you are."
"He is very promising and doesn't give enough space for the batsman to smash him for boundaries, he's impressing with each game and will continue to do even better with his performance," Manzoor added.
The 24-year old Kashmiri who worked as a security guard for four years in Srinagar to support his family took IPl as a life-changing opportunity and is willing to make every chance he gets.
"Right now I am sitting in the dugout and cheering for my teammates. But hopefully, whenever I will get the chance, I will play my natural game and play for the team. I play as an all-rounder and nothing will be greater than our team winning and I play for the team to win." Manzoor signed off.