We will bounce back: Shahbaz Nadeem - Delhi Daredevils

His team might not have got enough runs on the board, but 23 year old Shahbaz Nadeem gave it all that he could, defending a target of 129. On a day when rest of the Daredevils’ bowlers found the going tough, young Nadeem proved to be Delhi Daredevils’ best bowler with two wickets in his bag at an economy of under six. DD might not have started off their IPL campaign on a winning note, but 23 year old Shahbaz Nadeem feels his side can look at the positives and gear up for the challenges ahead. 

Q) The best bowler for the Daredevils, you might be satisfied with your performance.

A) It feels good to perform for your team, but had we won the match, it would have been more satisfying. 

Q) Was it a difficult pitch to bowl on?

A) Yes, it was difficult to bowl on this wicket, it was a bit on the slower side, but there was some turn from the wicket for the spinners and I was looking to get that purchase off the wicket

Q) Did you strategize against each of the KKR batsmen before the start of the game?

A) Yes, we had a bowlers’ meet and keeping in mind the quality of the KKR batsmen, we had plans for each and every batsman jotting down points as to what was a batsman’s weakness and what were his strengths. We tried to stick according to those plans, but unfortunately it didn’t come out that well. 

Q) What was a defendable total according to you in this pitch?

A) I think we would have felt a lot better had we scored closed to 140 and that would have been a defendable target. The wicket was not easy to bat on, the batsmen had to understand the pitch and then carry on from there. Another 15 odd runs on the board, it would have been anybody’s game.

Q) When Gautam Gambhir and Manoj Tiwary fell in quick succession in a span of two overs, did you feel you had a chance to win that time?

A) The match was close. The ratio of balls to the runs was neck to neck, but it was always going to be difficult as they still had a lot of wickets in their hand. Had we got a wicket or two more from there, the match could well have been in our grasp. 

Q) What are the positives you take from this game?

A) I think we did not score much, but the bowlers did a good job to get the game in balance at one point of time. Also one of the biggest positives was that our captain Mahela Jayawardene looks in good form. He played a captain’s knock and it will help us in the coming matches.

We will get back to the drawing board, and discuss where we went wrong and what we could have done better. We will only look forward and try to learn from our mistakes. 

Q) Mushtaq Ahmed your spin bowling consultant; his addition in the DD setup would be a massive boost.

A) Ofcourse! He has been one of the best spinners in the world; he is the latest addition to the Daredevils’ camp and getting his advices on bowling has been of massive help. I am learning a lot from him and it is a brilliant experience for a youngster like me to work under a spin legend.

Q) Your next game is against the Rajasthan Royals in your home ground. Will this loss affect the team?

A) We are looking forward. I think we have a very good team; it was unfortunate that we could not win today, but I am sure we will do well in the upcoming matches. 

source: iplt20.com