Delhi Capitals (DC) mentor Kevin Pietersen felt that the conditions and the toss didn't favour his team against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)as they lost the match by six wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
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00:00I don't think that they've changed their way necessarily just since I've joined
00:05the franchise. They've changed, certainly KL has been playing in a very positive
00:11manner since late last year, mid to late last year. We saw how he finished off a
00:18couple of the games for India and almost sealed the deal for you guys and the
00:22Champions Trophy in Dubai. But I've had a lot of incredibly brilliant
00:29conversations with him about batting, a lot of deep and meaningful
00:34conversations because when you grow up as a youngster like he did and you get
00:40taught defense, elbow up, play in the V and then all of a sudden in your 30s you've
00:47got to change it and you've got to become a different kind of player for a
00:50different format which is evolving all the time. It's very very difficult so the
00:56way that he has accepted that he's needed to change, the way that he has
01:00changed is of great great credit to the person that he is. He is so positive the
01:07way that he practices, the way that he trains, the way he thinks about the game
01:10and also the way that he talks about the game. So that's KL.
01:14Ashu, what a guy. I mean he's the younger generation that grew up playing scoops and
01:21reverse wicks and flicks for six and just wants to hit sixes every ball. So he's
01:26that next generation of T20 talent and again for him I've spent a lot of time
01:31with him just trying to make sure that he practices the right way because a lot of
01:35these guys you can get to practice, you can try and hit sixes every ball and you
01:38can get get out a lot of times. I think the key to wanting to perform properly is
01:43to practice in the right way and that's what I've been working with Ashu on. Just
01:47making sure that he doesn't get out too many times in practice. When he hits the
01:51ball, he hits the right ball because in the match you want to hit the right ball.
01:54So those are just the small things where I'm working with him and then a lot of
02:01the other young batters as well. I'm absolutely loving working with these
02:05youngsters and Kale, the experienced players, Faf, I mean all of them. Yes sir?
02:14Yes, yes, yes, yes, yeah, we lost the toss. I think we were also going to chase and I
02:39think that winning the toss was very important. Just there was due and I think
02:42batting got a little bit easier towards the end. I think it was a little bit
02:46harder in the first innings for us. Just those middle overs, the wicket was
02:51dry, the dew hadn't set yet and there actually wasn't any dew last night. I don't
02:57think when we finished training. So I'm not so sure whether that would have played
03:03too much of a role in what we did because statistics actually said for the seven
03:07games, the seven previous games that have been played here, the team batting first has
03:11won the game. So that's the first chase win. But we were going to chase this evening and I just
03:19think conditions and the toss probably just didn't play in our favour.
03:23Do you think the shot making was very difficult on that wicket? I think the batters, if you've got Kale Raoul
03:32who's batting as that gentleman there has just talked about at a strike rate of 160, 170, pushing 180 and he's
03:39finding it hard to find the boundary, then you've got to trust that the wicket isn't as easy to bat on at
03:46that particular stage.
03:55and what period recommended you champion. Just your overall experience, like given the draft
04:01result and the number of matches, how challenging has it been for you to maybe put your point
04:06across and think about changes in the way that battles will work. Is it more technical or is it more mental? What kind of conversations do you have?
04:14Very, very good question. I always knew that when I was playing franchise cricket, that no particular coach could change you over that four to six week period or eight week period.
04:28And I mean, even with Abhishek last night, I was working on something. I mean, where are we? We're five weeks into the tournament. We've only got three or four weeks left of the tournament.
04:36And I said to him, I said, Abhi, I said, this is not going to work for you tomorrow. It might not work for you the next week, but if you keep working on it in the next month, two months, three months, four months, I promise you this is going to help your game.
04:49And it's going to take you to a level where you're going to become a more destructive batter. So I think that's the key. Trying to lay foundations now and then also just mentally trying to switch a few players on and make them think better.
05:01Because I think you can think better, trying to change technique and trying to give people more batting options. That takes time, right? Because it's training the brain through repetition.
05:10Whereas the mental switch, some of this stuff I've done with Ashu, just making sure that he practices the right way, having long and deep and meaningful discussions with KL about batting and the art of batting and the new way of batting.
05:23So there you can have an impact, but sort of technically, these things take time.
05:31I'd back KL at four for India in T20 cricket.
05:58I think you guys have got plenty of opening batters. You've got Yashasvi, I mean, Rohit, Yashasvi, you've got Surya, who bats at the top. You've got all of these guys.
06:07But the way that KL Raul is playing cricket now, he would be my first choice to bat at four and keep wicket for India.
06:14Yes.
06:15I think you thought about the view of batting. And obviously, the way people think that shorts are currently batting.
06:26Yeah. Yes.
06:27So someone like you, who has five years of free trade, where do you think batting is going, do you think generation of batting or batting,
06:37there are a lot of people you think that they've got up, which is why they're trying to do it too much,
06:42for getting into the basics of keeping them aside. And just another part of it, talking about this pitch, this 161, 172 pitch.
06:50Yeah. Again, a couple of very good questions. The first part of your question about the way that players are playing.
07:09I think a lot of these players are not going to play test match cricket. So you're probably looking at it as a view.
07:17And I do often as well. I look at it and I just think, like, this is just crazy.
07:21Some of the shots that you see and how quickly these guys play the shots, it's just, it looks like utter madness.
07:28But that's the form of the game. On wickets like we're playing on this evening, you can't play that way.
07:34And you've got to be methodical. You've got to find rhythm. Virat found rhythm this evening.
07:40KL got rhythm. And I think that's where you see the true batter, the real batter that can come out there and sort of monitor the situation.
07:51And it looks effortless because they've built a technique for 20 years, 30 years.
07:56Whereas you give the absolute belters and that's when the next generation can come in and do all sorts of things.
08:04So is it good for T20 cricket to have the occasional wicket like this? I don't think it's a bad thing.
08:10Is it good to see the bowlers just getting bowling and just being served up into the stands every single ball like what happened a bit last year?
08:19And how it started this year? I don't think every night people want to see that. I don't know. I mean, I don't really want to see it every night.
08:27I don't know. You guys are obviously cricket lovers. The question is to you. Do you want to see that every night?
08:32Or do sometimes you just want to see something like this where it's like, it can be tight. It can be real tight.
08:37But yeah, you've also got to work out what fits for your particular team.
08:44Hi, Katie.
08:46Hi.
08:47My question here is from Matt.
08:48It said, what are the kind of pitches?
08:51I think that's something you call it.
08:52I mean, I mean, you can feel it at this moment that you're not supposed to.
08:56But you just, you know, once you go away.
08:58So, I mean, it's getting down to what you want to do.
09:01What kind of pitches do you think is most important?
09:08Yeah, again, we've got a very, very good bowling lineup.
09:13We've got an incredibly long batting lineup.
09:17And I think it depends on the opposition that we're playing against.
09:23It completely depends on who we're up against.
09:28And if you have a look at this evening's fixture, the kind of players and the kind of team that Bangalore are,
09:35probably a better wicket to play them against.
09:38Whereas against KKR on Tuesday, I'm hoping it's not the wicket that we got tonight.
09:44So, yeah, I think there can be changes.
09:48That's the luxury of playing at home.
09:50We haven't quite hit our perfect game yet as a team.
09:55So, I don't really think it's the wicket that we should be discussing.
09:59I think it's more, we haven't really played that complete game.
10:03I mean, for us to be sitting where we're sitting with 12 points,
10:06knowing that we actually haven't really hit our straps in all departments, is a good thing.
10:12I think it's a great thing.
10:13For us to have won that Super over the other evening, again, is a great thing.
10:17Tonight, the guys believed we could win even when Bangalore were almost across the line
10:22because of previous games that we have won.
10:25So, we haven't played our perfect match yet and I do believe that it's coming.
10:31I really do believe it's coming.
10:33Maybe, just one more thing.
10:35Just one more thing.
10:36Just one more question.
10:37You know, we've seen, you know, good stuff there.
10:41He's going, but, you know, spending so much into a player and not taking into the team.
10:47Is this just about the effectiveness or about the combination?
10:51Because he's really good, you know, that they're going,
10:54or someone can do really well in the middle of all phases.
10:57So, any clarity?
10:59We can only play 12 players, one being an impact player.
11:04And if you can tell me where he fits in at the moment, you would help us.
11:10If you can help us play 13, 14, it would help us.
11:14One thing I can say about Natu is he's doing everything that he's been asked to do,
11:19as is all of our players.
11:21What's been so impressive about our setup is how good the guys are that aren't playing,
11:27and they know that their chance is coming.
11:29They know that their chance is just around the corner.
11:31You have a look at Donovan the other night.
11:33Donovan turned up and he faced a couple of balls against GT.
11:39And, I mean, that was spur of the moment, but he was ready.
11:42It didn't work out, but he was ready.
11:44And all of our players are ready.
11:46Anything can happen again.
11:47Look at Phil.
11:48I think Phil Salt went down with a viral.
11:50We've had a few players that have gone down the night before a game because of a viral or some sort of illness.
11:56So, all our players are ready.
11:59And Natu is, again, he's chomping at the bit to get there.
12:03I mean, on commentary over the last few years, I don't want to talk about money.
12:07This competition's long gone money.
12:10In the Premier League, people don't talk about how much money the football is on.
12:14So, that conversation for me is dead.
12:17It's more about the impact of a player in a team and when the player's ready to be selected.
12:22And if you can make space for them.
12:24We're lucky and we're in a good position where we've got Jake who's off the field.
12:28Faf came back today.
12:29Natu is off the field.
12:31Like, we've got some very good strength in our, really good depth in our squad.