Having powered the Deccan Chargers to a memorable triumph on his coaching debut in South Africa last year, Darren Lehmann has set the bar higher in IPL-3. He wants nothing short of the title and firmly believes he commands a robust band of boys who could do an encore.
Lehmann was confidence personified after putting the team through the paces in what was the first full practice session at the D.Y. Patil Stadium here on Wednesday. “I am very happy with the way it went considering most players got together only yesterday — some of them have been playing (domestic cricket) until yesterday and travelling a lot. We are looking to get them ready for (the opening game on) Friday,” Lehmann mentioned.
The Chargers coach was concerned about the volume of domestic cricket ahead of IPL. “They have played a lot and need to freshen up as we have a longer season ahead. But then throughout the tournament we won’t be training so much. It will be all about recovery for me. Traditionally, the Indian players like to hit (at the nets) more but we have to make sure that they are fresh to give 110 per cent when the games come along. That’s the balancing act between getting enough hitting and not getting enough,” he said. “We are going to have our ups and downs but we have to fight another day and see how it goes. I just work on bits and pieces and try to boost them up mentally,” he said.
The Chargers will literally have to go that extra mile as their home games have been moved to other states. Lehmann acknowledged the resultant travel-related stress. “We would have loved to play at home and liked to see fans from Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh come and watch us in action. But we are not, and can’t control that,” he rued. He was delighted by the form opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs has shown since joining the team after finishing his domestic commitments in South Africa. “Gibbs looked good today. He is a class player and we are very happy to have him back. He got us an important knock in the final (last year). He came down in the batting order for SA in the recent series but he will play at the top of the order for us this time,” Lehmann said.
He lauded Hyderabad youngsters T. Suman and Ravi Teja, who too unpacked thunderous shots at Wednesday’s net session. “We are happy with all the young guys out there, they are working really hard and trying to make an impact in the game by hitting the ball harder and longer,” he said, adding “I like players adopting an entertaining brand of cricket,” Lehmann added.