Ishant Sharma has shown that he has a few more years left in him in the IPL, says Delhi Capitals pace coach James Hopes after Ishant Sharma’s impressive run in the Indian Premier League. Ishant was bought by Delhi in the 2022 auction. He didn’t play in the initial phase of the ongoing tournament but has since made an impact with six wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 6.50.
Hopes said on the eve of the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), “Ishant is preparing like any senior bowler.He has played a lot of cricket so his training sessions focus a lot on what he needs to do in the game. He doesn’t stay here for hours, he bowls a few overs and he is ready to perform the next day. He has been really good to us and it is good to have a senior in the field. We put both him and Khaleel together in the attack for the first time and they both get the new ball moving which is what we want.He has a few more years left in the IPL.
Hopes said Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh is fit to play. He said, “He (Marsh) is fit and ready to play. He was sick in the last match and could not even get out of bed.” Saturday’s match will mark the homecoming of superstar Virat Kohli and young RCB batsman Anuj Rawat, both of whom are from Delhi. The 23-year-old Rawat was bought by RCB ahead of the 2022 auction and the team has high hopes from him. The left-handed batsman trains at the same academy where Kohli honed his skills. Former India captain Kohli led the team when Faf du Plessis was not fully fit. Asked about his leadership preference, Rawat said, “For me Virat Bhaiya will always be my captain but Faf is also doing well and we are confident that we will do well under his captaincy.”
