Skipper Daniel Vettori and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan are set to return and boost the Royal Challengers Bangalore for their final round-robin IPL match against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
Published: May 22, 2011, 11:44 AM (IST)
Edited: May 22, 2011, 11:44 AM (IST)
Ray Jennings see a little bit of Shane Warne in Virat Kohli © Getty Images
Bangalore: May 22, 2011
Skipper Daniel Vettori and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan are set to return and boost the Royal Challengers Bangalore for their final round-robin IPL match against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
RCB coach Ray Jennings today said the duo are fresh and available for selection for their match against the Mumbai Indians, which would decide the final standing of the teams in the points table.
“Dan is a lot fresher, he was away from home for 14 weeks and we send him home to get his energy back as well as see his local surgeon. He is a lot more fresher now than when he arrived at the beginning of the IPL. He is fit enough to be ready for selection,” Jennings said.
“We also gave Zaheer a break and even he looks a lot more fresher now. There was the World Cup fatigue earlier and to me both of them Vettori and Zaheer are in a better space physically, mentally and technically than they were at the beginning of the IPL,” he added.
Jennings feels Kohli is an aggressive captain and has a bit of Shane Warne in him.
“I know Kohli’s captaincy from 2008. You don’t judge a cricketer in only one game. Kohli’s captaincy in the game against Kings XI Punjab, I mean you could say was shocking but captaincy is not all about winning, it is the coach’s job as well,” he said.
“I could be the best coach in the world and end up losing in the IPL as we saw with John Buchanan. I mean Buchanan spent two seasons in IPL but the IPL spat him out. You cannot judge captains by how they win or lose, you judge a captain by how he uses the skills and puts the team together.
“Virat is a very aggressive cricketer and you could see that and that is his nature as well. He makes mistakes. He wanted to challenge the team and wanted Tiwary to open but it didn’t work out. Virat is that type, he has come up with ideas and he has a touch of Shane Warne in the way he thinks. I have seen Virat for four years and he has got cricketing skills and talent,” he added.
Asked about the hectic play-off stage of IPL 4, Jennings said though the system was good, playing three games in four days is unfair on the players.
“The system is a good system but three games in four days is unfair. The system is good but you also need some breathing space because if we end up playing on the 25th, 27th and 28th and the guy who has played on the 24th and it could be the Super Kings with four days of rest and that could be unfair but the system is good,” the South African said.
“I think you got to save energy the way you travel, you got to get to the airport as late as possible, you got to ensure that in your hotel there is no disturbance from the public. You got to practice correctly, get the batsmen in to practice for 15 to 20 minutes and get a car for them to get back. It is about looking after them well for a week. There is nothing that we can do and I think all the teams have experienced three or four games in a week,” he explained.
Jennings said it would be a challenge to play Chennai Super Kings as they are a very good side.
“CSK is a good side, a balanced side, they have good players. It is one of the franchises that retained all four players and in the auction tried to buy back its old players so they have a culture going,” he said.
“I think it is going to be a tough week while having the Super Kings in that group and also playing at home. That to me is a challenge, they obviously think they can win at home and not away. The challenge is to beat the Super Kings at home and that is interesting for me.”
Jennings feels hosts should have a say on the pitch but cautioned one should not go over the top in pursuit of home advantage.
“There is no doubt the home side should have a say in the pitch but you cannot go over the top. If I have Dale Steyn I can’t prepare a pitch with long grass and I think I am going over the top. If you prepare wickets that is slow then you are going over the top,” he said.
“I think there should be boundaries and I think the controlling body should control. There should be limits between the maximum and minimum. Some of the weak teams tend to play on unrealistic wickets against good sides because if a top side meets a weak side on a flat wicket, the good side will win nine out of ten. If you prepare a wicket that is unpredictable then there is a chance of the weaker side winning.
“The Royals have a better win ratio at home because that pitch is slower than anywhere else. Warne is actually quiet smart and he packages the team with spinners and all of them are very different. Yes it is important to use home advantage but the question is to what extent?
“Last year I spent a lot of time with the curator, watching the way the wicket was prepared because I used Dale Steyn. This year I asked for a different type of wicket to suit our particular players. We are more balanced this year, last year we did not have so many options, we had Kumble and that was it. This wicket is conditioned to our way of thinking but it does not cross the limit,” he added.
Asked who would open the innings for the Royals on Sunday, Jennings said he would take a call tomorrow after consulting the captain.
“When you look at our side, Tiwary can open, Kohli can open, de Villiers can open. We got so many options, Mayank can open, Arun Karthik can open. I will take a call tomorrow after speaking to two or three people, to the captain and then we will sit down and work it out but I am sure you will find some surprises on Sunday,” he said.
© PTI
