Harbhajan Singh has pointed out the issues with the opening combination of the Delhi Capitals (DC) and suggests that assistant coach Shane Watson could improve it for the team.
Despite a narrow seven-run victory over SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on April 24th, the 2020 IPL finalists remain at the bottom of the points table. DC made a significant change by dropping Prithvi Shaw and moving Phil Salt up the order against SRH, but the decision was unsuccessful as Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Salt for a duck. David Warner has had to adopt a more cautious approach with the DC batting unit underperforming.
On his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh discussed DC’s difficulties with their opening combination in IPL 2023. He stated:
“I’m saying that DC should also play Shane Watson, he recently retired, and the way with which DC’s opening is going these days, he will be of use and a better choice as well.”
In his analysis of the close encounter, Harbhajan commended the partnership between Axar Patel and Manish Pandey, as well as DC’s bowling performance, which secured their victory. He stated:
“It seemed as if DC scored 25-30 runs less in the first innings on this pitch. The DC batters did not contribute much; the recovery from 62-5 was incredible from Axar Patel and Manish Pandey.”
“Credit to Axar Patel and Manish Pandey; they played really well and took the total to 144. DC might have thought that they can defend this, but they knew they will have to bowl really well. Ishant Sharma bowled a great spell upfront, and Harry Brook’s bat has not been talking since that hundred.”
“DC are a much better team than this”: Harbhajan
DC started their IPL 2023 season with five consecutive losses before finally earning their first points with a win against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a low-scoring game at home. Harbhajan Singh praised the performance of the spinners and expressed his hope that DC would play their best cricket in the remaining matches. He stated:
“Spinners also have to be applauded for their efforts. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav bowled really well. They did not give runs in the middle overs and took three wickets together as well. DC’s confidence should rise after this, but I think DC are a much better team than this.”