IPL 2014: Delhi Daredevils - Rally behind Kevin Pietersen

Kedar Jadhav is the trump card – use him in combination with Manoj Tiwary to kill the spinners

The gross misconceptions:

Playing Manoj Tiwary and Kedar Jadhav any lower than number 4 will end up damaging both their careers and the team’s fortunes, which is what has been happening so far.

Manoj Tiwary:

In the 2011 IPL season, the only year where he was used in a position where he should be by the Knight Riders, he ended up scoring 359 runs in 14 innings at an average of 51.28 per innings. In the seasons that followed, Gambhir’s love for the Bislas and Pathans ruined his IPL career. It has led to people think that Manoj Tiwary is not good enough to be in an IPL team, thanks to KKR.

Capability:

He has his specific roles: To attack spinners, milk them for runs in the toughest of conditions imaginable and score at a strike rate of 110 (85 in ODIs) against pace bowlers in least threatening conditions. ‘Least threatening’ is the key word, as he has had his troubles against swing as well as against bounce when tasked with taking on the bowlers. In ODIs, though, as a no. 4 batsman, you don’t necessarily need to attack the fast bowlers to be successful. When it comes to spinners, having played at Eden Gardens – a spinner’s paradise – all through his career, he can be up against any challenges that come his way.

Ideal role:

Tiwary is unlucky to have not played as many ODI matches as he should have by this stage of his career. However, I would not have him in any of the top 8 international T20 teams, as, by being not able to hit the pacers out of the park at will and not negotiate swing, he becomes a serious liability.

It, however, becomes a totally different scenario when it comes to the IPL teams, which are likely to play most of their matches on tracks that aid spin. Ball doesn’t swing down here and the oppositions try to strangle the batsmen by bringing in the spinners earlier, thereby playing straight into the hands of Tiwary.

So, he gets the nod in my DD line-up at number 3, not any lower.

Kedhar Jadhav:

Capability:

Jadhav is a notch better than Tiwary against pace and equally good against spinners. As a result, he comes across as a much more versatile and skilled player than him.

Ideal role:

The Maharashtrian slots in at number 4 with ease due to his ability to play spinners and change gears when needed against pacers: just the expectations of an ideal no. 4 in subcontinent.

Murali Vijay:

Vijay, a one-season IPL wonder, neither has capability nor role-play in T20s, at least in my team. I have had enough of him. Quoting one of my earlier articles – a tactical analysis on Chennai Super Kings – which was written ahead of the Champions League 2013,

Statistically speaking, Vijay’s record of 312 runs in 15 innings at an average of 22.28 and strike-rate of 109.09 in IPL 6 doesn’t give him an automatic qualification.

Not to forget he was dropped by CSK the season before for a series of woeful performances; he returned late into the tourney to score his only 50+ score in IPL 5 against Delhi Daredevils.

Some muddled thinking from the Delhi think-tank led to Morne Morkel being dropped for Andre Russell and in turn, forcing the Daredevils to include Sunny Gupta, who looked overqualified for being a nets bowler, leave alone a part of the Delhi Daredevils team. The off-spinner ended up conceding 47 runs off his three overs and Vijay made complete use of the hapless bowling attack to score a 58-ball 113.

Going beyond the mere statistics, from my observation in the last couple of years, I believe his problems start when he is trying to accelerate, an issue that has crept into his playing style of late.

He looks stylish, compact and comfortable when he is not trying to force the pace. He applies himself strictly when the bowling is harmless, which is pretty much the case in IPL, but the moment he is required to step up the gear, his shortcomings show up.

Therefore, Vijay is out of my team.

Dinesh Karthik:

Dinesh Karthik has to open. Yes, he is inconsistent, and yes, he isn’t what you ideally want to have at the top. But, when you have got him for Rs. 12.5 crore and your other wicket-keeping option is De Kock, you would do well to hope he finds his best form and stick with him. If he manages to find his touch back, it would do a world of good to the team.