Decimated in their most recent IPl match, there is some good news for the beleaguered Delhi Daredevils with their injured English skipper Kevin Pietersen saying that he expects to be fit for the team's next game in Dubai.
"I don't know if they are missing me. This is a long tournament; we've played three matches and won one...As for me, I'm going to hopefully be back in the next game," Pietersen, who had been nursing a finger injury, told the IPl's official website.
Delhi will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next match on April 25. "I have trained a couple of days, but it hasn't been an ideal start going into this tournament. I had good practice for a couple of weeks in london, but then hurt myself and have had three weeks off," the attacking batsman said.Delhi were quite literally thrashed by Chennai Super Kings last night, losing by 93 runs in a lopsided game.
Even though he has not been able to play, Pietersen said he has tried to keep the team motivated in the dugout. "It's imperative for me to play a significant role as a senior figure in the dressing room. You need to reach out to the players and help them out. Yes, I have handed the reigns of the team to DK (Dinesh Karthik) but I've also got to help him.
"We're all a part of the senior group in the squad and the onus is on us to look after each other. The young guys need guidance from us and we too need to know how they want to go about things," he said.Asked if he has been playing a role in the on-field decision-making as well, Pietersen said, "Not really, that's all DK. We can only talk about what might happen out there and put some ideas forward. When the team crosses the rope, it's DK who takes it all out there and runs the show as he seems fit for the team."
Pietersen also spoke about his experience of working under coach Gary Kirsten. "Gary is people's person. He's fantastic to be around. He's one of those guys with whom you want to hang around; he's infectious. He's got such a calming influence, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose, you get the same positive vibes from him.
"I think that's really important for the players and especially for the youngsters. You don't want a coach who gets jittery and goes up, down and all over the place," said the batsman.
Yuvi hates batting under pressure: mother
Sharjah: Shabnam Singh, mother of Yuvraj Singh, on Tuesday said his son hates to bat under pressure and relishes playing in a side which enjoys cricket and are relaxed."He is very happy to be picked up for RCB because cricket is all about enjoying and that's what the Royal Challengers Bangalore stand for. All the boys are really chilled out and that's where he wants to be because Yuvi hates to bat under pressure or anything," she said in an interview to RCB's official website.
Asked about her support to her son, Shabnam said, "Whenever he is down and out, it is best to leave him alone instead of pampering him. I try and make him realise that its just the part of the game and he will come out of it. It is a regular part of parent and child and every parent does that.""It is very important to support the child. I don't think so I am different. Mothers are all about fussing over their son and fathers are very harsh. Usually, they are," she added.
Asked what challenges she faced from her son, Shabnam said Yuvraj was thrown out of every school he attended and most of the teachers expressed unhappiness over his performance in studies."I was called so many times to the school and they (teachers) said your child is not doing well, but eventually he decided that cricket was the one sport he wanted to play," she said.