DC’s biggest challenge against Mumbai Indians is to bat well: Mohammad Kaif

Delhi Capitals will be up against the Mumbai Indians once again this season, having beaten them by six wickets in the earlier meeting. However, they know that they have a very bad record against the Paltan, especially after being 4-0 down in the last season where they lost in the final too. 

Mohammad Kaif, the fielding coach of the Capitals believe that DC’s biggest challenge against Mumbai Indians is to bat well. 

“The biggest challenge against Mumbai is to put runs on the board. Whenever we have lost against these guys, we haven’t been able to do well with the bat. So our goal would be to either get runs on the board and put them under pressure, or even if we bat second then, bat well and chase it down,” he said in a virtual press conference ahead of both team’s clash on Saturday. 

Aksed if the Capitals would look to change the playing XI and experiment with some new talents having almost qualified for the Playoffs, Kaif said, “In the IPL funny things happen and we are well aware of that. We have to keep getting better.” 

“There are always areas to improve even though you sit at the top of the table. IPL is the toughest tournament to win and last year we realised that when we missed out in the finals losing to Mumbai. Therefore we want to play our best team all the time,” the 40-year-old added. 

The two teams will be playing in Sharjah, while it would be the first game for Mumbai in the smaller stadium, Delhi have played against Rajasthan and KKR and have won and lost respectively. Asked about the change in the playing conditions in Sharjah compared the last year, the former India player said that cricket is a condition-based game and players need to adapt accordingly. 

“It’s a condition-based game and what you get on the day, you play on it. Pitches have been on the slower side and they are turning a bit, higher-scoring games have not happened. Last year it was totally different, last year it was a fantastic pitch, not so much turn, even bounce to play your shots,” he said. 

“People say it’s a small ground, but I don’t think so. 70 meters boundaries. It is definitely on the slower side this time around. But my thinking is that if you play on difficult pitches where it is tough to score runs, you must take it as a challenge. The team taking the challenge head-on will win,” Kaif added.