Ahmedabad: Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne was full of praise for his squad following their fourth successive win in the tournament, against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
Excerpts:
On the win taking them close to the semi-finals: No, we are halfway, halfway through [the group stage] and I am just really proud of the way the boys have been playing. I thought Naman (Ojha) was fantastic today, him and Michael Lumb gave us a great platform and I thought they got off to an absolute flier again in the first six [overs] and I thought we fought back again and got ourselves ahead and then were always ahead I suppose until the 18th over (of Chennai’s innings), when I decided to try and get them back in the game, but am very happy. From three games, three losses to win the next four is a real credit to our group, the way we fought back and the character and spirit in our team. As I have said lots of times, we don’t rely on one player, it’s always the team. In the team meeting today, the chat when we announced the team, I said who is going to put their hand up today and Naman put his hand up and was the man today, which was fantastic.
On backing Naman Ojha: Yeah, look, I think that the more I understand the Indian sort of culture [the better]. The more support you can give lads and the more backing, always back your players. I think it is really important, that’s one of the strengths of our group, I suppose. It’s just my style of captaincy, I always just sort of back everyone, I always backed Naman [because] I think he is a wonderful player, he is a very talented batsman and a good ‘keeper. So when your ‘keeper can open the batting and hit the ball like that it allows you to play a different sort of team so [I am] very, very happy.
On Siddharth Trivedi not being selected for the Indian World Twenty20 team: Yeah, look when you are picking a team you don’t just say who are the best three fast bowlers, it’s all about doing their role. Sid Trivedi, I have always backed him, after that six overs, to bowl those mixed bag of tricks, the slower balls, the bouncers - he does a great job at it. If you ask him to take the new ball in the first six….that’s not his specialty. I think if the Indian team can have someone like Trivedi they should do that…mixed bag in the middle overs is very crucial and I am surprised he is not in the side because he does an excellent job for us. Underrated, very underrated.
On diving around in the field: (Laughs) I am a bit too old for that sort of stuff, but I wish that [ball] had come straight to me, that would have been nice, but I had to dive for them. Look, when you win a game it doesn’t matter those sort of things – it’s just part and parcel of the game, this is what it is. You have got to dive around on the field and as much as I don’t like to you are going to have to do it. But I thought we were really good again in the field today, a couple of catches again….(Suresh) Raina early… but at least we got him out.
On bowlers coming into their own: Yeah, look we see ourselves as probably leading the way in that, a lot of sides have copied what we do, with the fields, we were the first team to bowl spin in the first six [overs] and that sort of stuff. So we are always looking for new innovations but the basics are the basics, you have still got to do them well. Once again, like, even Yusuf (Pathan) didn’t get any runs today but I gave him the ball first up and he got a wicket of Matthew Hayden, I thought it was another great catch. So it’s nice to be able to throw the ball to someone like that who can bowl in the first six. Sumit Narwal generally does okay up front - he got Gilchrist out in the first over – [but] unfortunately he didn’t bowl as well today, but they played him well and that middle overs [period], myself and Sid, that three overs I bowled and I think Sid bowled three there…six overs, that’s when we really got back in the game. So there was always someone doing their role so [I am] very very happy.
On how he inspires the team to perform better: Look, I think it is credit to our group, it is not one particular person. I think all of us want to play better, we want to be the best cricketers we can and I suppose I am entrusted as captain-coach to try and get [the] best out of the team. It’s one of my jobs and I suppose playing international cricket for nearly 20 years and first-class cricket you have got to have some sort of experience. Look, I don’t take credit for that, it’s the whole group that takes credit for that. As I said to Harsha (Bhogle), it is more about the players wanting to be the best cricketers they can…the players saying and leading the charge, guys like Naman (Ojha) and Munaf Patel and Yusuf. You’ve just got to speak to the players, let them talk and I think [that’s] the most important thing in the IPL when we have got such a young, pretty inexperienced team. At the start it was a little bit of inexperience I thought and also it takes a little bit of time to gel together when it’s new players, you know we haven’t started any IPL very well, even in the first year we lost, we got badly beaten in our first game. So I suppose it shows a lot of character in our group in how we bounced back. I think it is a real test of a team when you are down, you can easily just keep going down. The way we fight, we wanted to get into a scrap, we want to get into a game. Once we get into a game that’s when we are really right at our best. So, I am just really proud of the way we fought back in this city today, equal top or whatever it is, four wins from four [games] is pretty good.
On the Ahmedabad venue and their Jaipur ‘fortress’: [It’s the] same sort of support we have always had at home. You know when we have always said we want a fortress at home, we have played 11 home games in IPL in India and we have won 10. [In] Jaipur we have never lost so [I] hope we keep that record, we have got three games in a row at Jaipur. We have got three on the row now…which is going to be tough, Delhi in Delhi and I think Chennai in Chennai and Deccan at Nagpur. So we have got three on the row which is quite tough and then we have got 10 days in Jaipur, three at home, so we have got a really good finish, finish off with Kolkata. The next three games are pretty crucial to us but [the] Ahmedabad people were fantastic, they really supported us, it’s our second home, equal home with Jaipur. [In] Jaipur we know the fans will get behind us. We know those conditions well. Hopefully we keep that record up in Jaipur, it will be nice.
On Ahmedabad being lucky for them: Yeah, look, we enjoy playing here, we know the conditions. I thought it was a very good wicket today, we showed the other day you can still chase a score, they were very close today too. After that sort of 5-6 overs, from, sort of, 7 to 13 when me and Sid bowled we really got them down, we got back in the game. They were always one or two big overs behind. So we know these conditions and it is fantastic to play here. I thought it was a good cricket wicket, 330-340 runs scored in 40 overs, it’s 8.5-9 an over nearly, so it’s pretty good all-round cricket.
On how much Hindi he has picked up: (Smiles) I have picked up a fair bit actually. I can’t repeat all of them, but the bus driver when we say jaldi jaldi chalo chalo and he knows to go fast..…hurry, hurry. So, there are a few others but I don’t think I can say them now Naman (looks at Ojha sitting next to him, who nods his head) can I? No, no I’ll keep it for later. Thank You.
Ojha lets his bat do the talking
Naman Ojha’s 80 off 49 balls was the inspiration behind the Royals victory against the Super Kings. The wicket-keeper batsman was modest about his performance after the game.
Excerpts:
On the difference in his batting: I just thought that if I get in then I would take all and go.
On missing a hundred: Yeah I had thought about it but unfortunately I got out. (Just then, Warne sayshe deserved a hundred)
On the role of domestic cricket: Obviously, I was hitting the ball quite nicely in domestic tournaments so it really helped me in the IPL.
No comments:
Post a Comment