Hope Brathwaite carries his form into IPL: Zaheer Khan
Last updated on Tuesday, 05 April, 2016, 07:34 PM
Zaheer expressed his delight at the prospect of working with some young Indian cricketers. © Getty
Zaheer Khan, the Delhi Daredevils captain for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), advocated the importance of momentum in a tournament like the IPL and hoped Carlos Brathwaite, West Indies' man of the moment, would take his form forward for the Delhi franchise. The big-hitting West Indian captured the imagination of the viewing public with his four successive sixes that won West Indies their second World T20 title, in India on April 3. In the IPL player auction conducted in February, the 27-year-old, whose base price was INR 30 lakh, went to Delhi Daredevils for a whopping sum of INR 4.2 crore.
"Everyone knows that IPL is all about momentum. Every guy's contribution will be crucial," Zaheer said in a press conference in the national capital on Tuesday (April 5). "And after his performance in the World Cup final, Brathwaite is coming in with that kind of confidence. I am hopeful that he will carry forward that confidence in the IPL."
While Brathwaite hogs the limelight currently, Zaheer also expressed his delight at the prospect of working with some young Indian cricketers.
"I am looking forward towards working with young energy. That will be visible on the field. These are guys who have been performing consistently in the Indian domestic season. Shreyas (Iyer) has had a great season. Karun, Shami is coming back from injury. Everyone is excited."
Zaheer, 37, featured in only seven matches of last season's IPL and called time on his international career towards the end of 2015, a decision he is still happy about. Ashish Nehra's recent success in limited-overs cricket hasn't changed Zaheer's mind about retirement, but the newly-appointed Daredevils' skipper admits it has motivated him to hit the nets again ahead of a gruelling season of IPL.
"I am very happy with my decision and I am sticking to that. I am very happy to see Ashish Nehra do well. In fact, he has motivated me quite a lot to get back to training," Zaheer quipped. "I was very clear about walking away from international cricket. I am just happy to play this form of cricket. You kind of give it back while guiding the youngsters. This is something that I enjoy."
Delhi Daredevils begin their IPL 2016 campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata on April 10.
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