“Why point out one or two guys?” - Ajit Agarkar bats for Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan after DC’s second loss in IPL 2023

Delhi Capitals (DC) assistant coach Ajit Agarkar opined that it would be unfair to single out Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan over the franchise’s losses in their first two Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 matches. According to the former India pacer, Delhi have failed collectively in both matches.

DC went down against Gujarat Titans (GT) by six wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday, April 4. Batting first, Delhi posted 162/8, a target that Gujarat chased down in 18.1 overs. While Shaw was dismissed for seven off five balls, Sarfaraz contributed 30 off 34 deliveries.

At the post-match press conference, Agarkar was asked about the struggles of the two young batters, who are rated highly in Indian cricket. Backing the duo, the DC assistant coach replied:

“They’ve made runs in the past and, in general, I don’t think we batted well, so why point out one or two guys? None of our top order did well. Really no one got going. I mean, in both games we’ve not begun at the top as other teams have and you can see the difference. So there’s no point picking individuals.

“Collectively, we’ve not been good enough on both nights and you need we need to improve because you’re playing against some good teams. So lot of credit to Gujarat but, you know, we need to improve collectively as a group as a batting unit to get better results.

When probed further about Shaw, who has looked uncomfortable against pace, Agarkar added:

“So when you’re talking about the Prithvi Shaw, who got a Test 100 on debut and so you’re not talking about someone who’s playing for the first time in the IPL. So when you lose, you don’t lose because of one person or two. As a collective effort, it’s not been good enough tonight.

Shaw was bowled by Mark Wood for 12 in DC’s opening encounter against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Sarfaraz also fell to the same bowler for four.

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“He got a 50 in the previous game” - Ajit Agarkar on David Warner

Despite registering scores of 56 and 37, there are some concerns over Delhi Capitals skipper David Warner’s form. The veteran Australian batter did not look at his fluent best in both innings, though he spent a decent amount of time out in the middle. Agarkar, however, wasn’t too worried. He stated:

“No, he got a 50 in the previous game. I think today was all right. I mean look like I said before I think collectively I don’t think there’s any different way to approach. He has probably been one of the best players ever in the IPL. So you expect him to get it right.”

The 45-year-old also praised young keeper-batter Abishek Porel, who made his IPL debut in the match against GT. Speaking about the promising Bengal cricketer, Agarkar commented:

“To replace someone like Rishabh Pant will always be difficult but you can’t keep harping on that. You’ve got to try and fix it with the players you’ve got and you’re very impressive with the way approach and that’s for someone so young was not been at this level to show the kind of temperament. Even when he went in we were in a lot of trouble.”

Delhi Capitals’ next match in IPL 2023 will be against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday, April 8.