Sanjay Manjrekar and Ian Bishop have shared their thoughts ahead of Wednesday’s match between the Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai. Manjrekar said that the Royals should give the youngster, Yashasvi Jaiswal a long rope. However, Jaiswal, who came in for Karun Nair, played a quickfire knock of 68 against the Punjab Kings while chasing 190.
His 41-ball knock helped the Royals post the mammoth total with six wickets in hand. Before this knock, Jaiswal had made 20, 1, and 4 in his last three innings as well. When he was asked whether they should stick with Jaiswal, Sanjay Manjrekar added that he believes they should as Jaiswal is one of their retained players.
Sanjay Manjrekar told ESPN Cricinfo: “Yes, I think so because he was one of the guys they retained and he’s come back into form. But I worry for Padikkal down the order, whether that will stifle the growth of the young talent.”
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On the other hand, Devdutt Padikkal, who came into the tournament with a lot of promise, has failed to live up to the expectations. He has managed only 247 runs in 11 matches which came at 22.45, striking at 119.32 with one fifty as well. Meanwhile, Ian Bishop said that Jimmy Neesham deserves a spot too. Notably, after their six-wicket victory against the Punjab Kings, Shimron Hetmyer left the Royals’ camp after the birth of his child. He had played a key role in his side’s win, hitting 31 off 16 deliveries as well.
Bishop said: “I think you want a finisher. So, Daryl Mitchell has been tried and looked out of his depth. Jimmy Neesham has had only one chance. I would go with Neesham.” Manjrekar also opined: “They might want to re-think Anrich Nortje if his form doesn’t come back. I thought Mustafizur did really well for them, barring maybe a couple of spells.”
On the other hand, there is uncertainty over Prithvi Shaw’s availability for Delhi against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday, and Manjrekar said Rishabh Pant needs to score well. However, he also stated that Mitchell Marsh hasn’t found his form yet which is why he is struggling.
He said, “When Prithvi Shaw was there, Delhi had another dangerous batter. If David Warner is scoring at 140, Shaw was striking at 150. Rishabh Pant will have to score runs. He will have to show some consistency, otherwise Delhi’s batting looks really weak. Unless he contributes, DC will continue to struggle in the batting department. Mitchell Marsh doesn’t look confident yet in the IPL. Some overseas players need some time to settle down and feel comfortable. I feel Delhi will still back him to come good. Delhi have big players and have quality in both pace and spin. A couple of players are not in form yet. If Prithvi Shaw comes back, it will help. I think they will push and prod their way into the top four.”
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Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been one of the positives for Delhi in IPL 2022 and he has been claiming wickets too. But, the veteran stated that Kuldeep will need to work on his natural ability as he is quite slow in the air.
“On his day, he gets 3-4 wickets with good deliveries but on other days the same type of deliveries go for boundaries. He is a bit too slow in the air and hence he is always a gamble for the team. (Yuzvendra) Chahal also claims wickets but his graph in economy is not so inconsistent. If Kuldeep works on his fitness and flight and overcomes his natural weakness, he will be more effective with regards to economy,” Sanjay Manjrekar concluded.
