New Delhi: South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir says it is not a lack of effort that has spelt doom for Delhi Daredevils in this year’s IPL but just the fact that lady luck hasn’t smiled on them.
Delhi Daredevils suffered their seventh defeat in a row when they lost to Kings XI Punjab. “I think we are playing good cricket. It is just that luck is not favouring us. We are really working very hard. The team is going through a hard time and it is getting very tough to come out from there,” Tahir said at the post-match press conference.
From the onset, it turned out to be a nightmarish campaign for the Delhi outfit and the situation has gone from bad to worse with every passing game.
The Daredevils are languishing at the bottom of the table with just two wins from 12 games and pride will be at stake for the Kevin Pietersen-led side in their last two matches. “We are working hard and believing in each other, so hopefully we can finish with wins in our last two games. The guys are morally down but I think they will be motivated after this game,” Tahir said.
Till not long ago, Tahir had been cooling his heels back home in South Africa with his newly-born baby before an injury to paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile gave the Pakistan-born leg-spinner a chance to make his debut in the IPL.
“I have been watching IPL for the last six years and always thought if I get an opportunity to play. I was blessed with a boy a month back, so I am trying to do well for him. He is small and I didn’t want to leave him but I got motivation from him,” said Tahir, who was the highest wicket-taker in the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.
“This is one of the best leagues in the world and anyone wants to be here and perform.”
With figures of 3/22 from his four overs, which included the wicket of dangerman Glenn Maxwell, Tahir was the pick of the bowlers for Daredevils against the Kings XI. “According to me, a leg-spinner is such a character who on his day can win the match for you if he is bowling well and has the support of the captain and the coach,” he said.
“It is great to get Maxwell’s wicket because he has been the star batsman this year. But what I feel is that Indian batsmen are far better equipped to play spin on these conditions than foreign players,” he added.
