Dwayne Bravo: Abu Dhabi T10 will be so tough to win

Dubai: Dwayne Bravo, the West Indies all-rounder proved to be the star of the show in the last edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 as he led Maratha Arabians to the title, defeating Deccan Gladiators in the final. The energetic cricketer has now switched teams to team up with coach Andy Flower at the Delhi Bulls.

The 2021 edition begins on January 28 and runs until February 6 in UAE, and Bravo cannot wait to get going for the Bulls.

“Obviously Abu Dhabi T10 is an exciting tournament and it’s something that we as players look forward to,” he said. “It’s a competition with a new team for me in Delhi Bulls. I must be very honest that it’s a really hard tournament to win. What will work for us is the fact that both the coach (Flower) and myself will be on the same page. We remember what we did while we were at Maratha Arabians — the format, structure, and how we can get our players to believe in our process. I think the same effort, energy and planning will go into this campaign.

“With the help of the coach, I think we will put our plans together and get the rest of the guys to buy into our concept and hopefully give it a crack. I’m excited about the new team, I’m happy and as I can see with my team — the likes of Lewis, Nabi, Rutherford — these are all talented players and I’m looking forward to playing with them.”

The former West Indies captain is clearly a fan of the Abu Dhabi T10. “It is an exciting tournament and it’s a competition that is just the way T20 started a few years ago — being the hottest thing in the market, and attracting so many people around the world — I think T10 definitely can do something similar,” said the Trinidadian. “I believe it can also help players prolong their careers, and as a bowler, I use it as an opportunity to challenge myself because it’s not a bowler-friendly tournament, and you come up against the best players in the world. So I use it as an opportunity to work on my skills and challenge and see how I can still compete at the highest level.”

Currently enjoying training back home in Trinidad and Tobago, Bravo also commented on the importance of fielding in a format like T10. “I believe fielding is very important. As I always tell people, every run you save on the field is one less run that you have to make. Therefore, as a group, it’s very important to put a proper fielding unit on the park,” he said. “It helps the bowlers when you have great fielders and it also helps the captain. It boosts the entire team spirit and helps you to win games.

Delhi Bulls are in Group A alongside Maratha Arabians, Bangla Tigers and Northern Warriors, Bravo is also looking forward to playing against his friends and former teammates. “I am definitely looking forward to playing against my teammates — the likes of Pollard, Chris Gayle, Russell, Nicholas Pooran — we all have our individual rivalry among ourselves, and it’s about getting the bragging rights,” he said. “It’s good that a tournament like this can bring all of us together and get us to compete against each other.”