New Delhi: New Sensation in Indian cricket Unmukt Chand feels that exclusion of Jesse Ryder because of the recent incident from the IPL is a big blow for the Delhi Daredevils (DD). Ryder went into coma after suffering some brutal head injuries but in the past 24 hours his condition has improved a lot and he had been shifted from ICU to general ward.
Delhi Daredevils batsman Unmukt Chand said, "Ryder is a brilliant stroke player and it’s just impossible to fill in the boots of such a player but we have to uplift ourselves from this very moment and need to win every single game.”
He said in absence of Kevin Pietersen, Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder, their middle-order will have to take much more accountability for the team’s performance.
“Kevin Pietersen (KP) is also not going to be part of IPL this season, which is really sad. I always wanted to share the experience of such a brilliant cricketer who has done so well all round the world. The whole DD squad is surely going to miss KP and Ryder. As far as my batting slot is concerned, team management will take a call on that.”
During the media-interaction, he gave the glimpse of his journey after winning the under 19 world-cup by saying, “Life has come in full circle to me since I won the U-19 World Cup but that’s history now and I had moved on from that. My primary focus is on scoring heaps of runs in Ranji to get in to the Indian squad as soon as possible and I am leaving no stone unturned for it. Even in this season, I performed well and my focus is to carry on my good form”
When he was quizzed on how he will tackle the Sunil Narine, the mystery spinner of Kolkata Knight Riders, in the opening match of the tournament, he simply said, "It’s going to be big moment for me to play at Eden Gardens. KKR in their own backyard is a tough team to beat and the equation of Sunil Narine to that will make the situation more difficult for us but we have some world class batsmen in the likes of Mahela Jaywardene, Virender Sehwag who can smash those mystery bowlers all over the park.”
Virender Sehwag, Johan Botha and Morne Morkel had joined the squad on Monday for their opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on April 3.
By ISN
