IPL 9: On-song Delhi face Mumbai

Zaheer Khan (left) and Rahul Dravid at a Delhi Daredevils’ training session in New Delhi on Friday. (Photo: Asian Age)

Delhi Daredevils mentor Rahul Dravid will fancy his team’s chances against defending champions Mumbai Indians in Saturday’s afternoon game at the Kotla here on the back of two impressive — and contrasting — wins.

Having gone down limply to the Knight Riders in their opener, Delhi turned things around, first in a low-scoring game at home against Kings XI Punjab before they tamed Royal Challengers Bangalore away in a big chase.

As was his philosophy at Rajasthan Royals — in many ways the Daredevils are beginning to look more and more like the out of action Jaipur side — Dravid has been hard at work in blending youth and experience.

And in the two wins, the match-winners have been from the opposite ends of the age scale — the thirty-something Amit Mishra weaving a web with his leg-spin sorcery at the Kotla against Punjab, and a baby-faced Quinton de Kock pounding Virat Kohli’s bowers into submission at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium with the first century of IPL-9. Handed a run of three matches at home now, the Daredevils will want to rack up as many points as possible before hitting the road again.

Delhi currently stand third in the league table with four points from three games, and while these are early days yet, every point earned is vital. For their part, Mumbai Indians are fifth with two wins and three losses from five matches. Zaheer Khan has responded to the challenge of leading the Daredevils with aplomb and is clearing growing into the job. While still in India colours, he was the nominated bowling captain, and proved a successful mentor.

In this new avatar too, Zaheer has not been found wanting, and his craft with the ball is on its way back as well. In Chris Morris and the returning Mohammed Shami he has able new ball partners while Mishra has been well supported by fellow-spinners Pawan Negi and JP Duminy when needed.

It is with the bat that Delhi have had early problems, but Karun Nair’s composure in the big chase against RCB alongside the flashing blade of de Kock bodes well. There is much in the armoury to reassure, and Rohit Sharma’s side can expect a good test on this Kotla square. For their part, the Indians have been up and down. but with their captain evidently having decided to open on a regular basis, are immediately looking a more settled unit.

In both wins, Sharma has led from the front with elegant half-centuries, but he will need much more in terms of support if Mumbai are to improve on an iffy record at the Kotla. In head to head games, the Indians have lost twice as many games here than they have won, a statistic Sharma and coach Ricky Ponting will want to better. Plenty of attention will meanwhile be on Mumbai’s ‘other’ Pandya, left-arm spinner and big-hitting batsman Krunal, who has put sibling Hardik, of India fame, in the shade with both ball and bat.