Quinton de Kock is an important part of Delhi Daredevils, who kick off their India leg campaign on Saturday against Rajasthan Royals. Having registered two victories in the UAE, Delhi Daredevils have not looked like the side which deserves to win the tournament. Starting from Saturday, they will make Firoz Shah Kotla their home. But the baby-faced South African glovesman feels that there are no home advantage factors for overseas players like him.
“It still feels like an away game for me. It is same for me as for others. I believe it is more to do with the mental side of playing at Kotla. There would be a bit of edge for us. It’s hard to say from my end as to how much advantage it will be. May be the local players can feel the familiarity,” de Kock told reporters after the team’s practice session.
Talking about Delhi’s performance so far De Kock said that they are getting better as a team. “In the first few games, we struggled but we have come back strongly and are playing very good cricket at the moment. After the first game, we needed someone to step up and JP Duminy was the guy who did it for us. The other day, we nearly chased down 190 (versus Sunrisers). Anything could have happened. A misfield or a dropped catch could have changed the game. I feel in the first couple of games, it was more around the performances of individuals but now I think we are improving and getting better as a team which is helping us,” he said.
De Kock had played for Sunrisers Hyderabad last year but he finds the franchise of Delhi more comfortable. “Obviously, it helps being around with familiar faces. I feel a lot more comfortable with Gary (Kirsten) and Rob (assistant coach Rob Walters) around. I am lucky to be around people whom I know. In Sunrisers, there were a lot of Australians in their support staff. Having said that, I am not saying, I was uncomfortable in Hyderabad,” he said.