Delhi Coach Devang Gandhi on the Loss Against Pondicherry: “Tough Loss to Swallow”

Delhi Cricket’s first-ever Ranji Trophy match at home ended in a crushing loss to Pondicherry, making it a miserable day for the team. Pondicherry chased a goal of 50 and won by 9 wickets.

The Delhi batting team was completely outmatched by the Pondicherry bowlers, who dismissed them for 148 and 145 in the first and second innings, respectively.

The team’s performance disappointed head coach Devang Gandhi, who also acknowledged that the visitors outperformed the hosts in every area.

“The arrangements were sound. Simply put, they outperformed us in every way. They outperformed us and played exceptionally well in every area. The conditions were excellent and the pitch was new when they bowled in the first innings. Thus, they bowled in the ideal places and received a lot of assistance on the first day, the former Indian cricket player stated.

The coach went on to say that his team’s inability to score much in either of the two innings lost them the game.

“We need to have been a little more adamant. Playing the spells out (in the second innings) was, in my opinion, the intended strategy. That was our shortcoming. However, I believe we’ll bounce back stronger in the next games. It is indeed a difficult loss to accept.

“Having runs in front of you always puts more pressure on the opponent. We never scored highly. It follows that the bowlers were under pressure. The task is much simpler when you are pursuing a little objective. It would have been a very different ball game if we had taken a 150-run lead in the second inning, he said.

The Pondicherry bowlers were also commended by the previous national selector for their effective utilization of the circumstances and area of bowling.

“I believe we could have dealt with the Pondicherry bowlers more skillfully. They bowled very well, so I won’t take anything away from them, but our batting should have been better.

alterations to the cards for the next match

Delhi’s next match, against J&K, is scheduled to start on January 12 and will take place in Jammu. Ishant Sharma is unavailable for the away games, while Navdeep Saini will be playing with the India “A” team and won’t be available for the second game.

“I believe that Ishant Sharma won’t be able to play in the away games. We’ll have to wait and see. The team includes several younger players. You’ll have a better notion of who will replace them from the selections, Gandhi said.

“We must mount a more formidable defense.”

Coach Gandhi is well aware that the squad has to show spirit and mount a greater recovery since the loss to Pondicherry is a significant setback.

I think we’re going to need to return with more determination. We are able to alter a few things. We need to exhibit a lot more character, but I’m not able to tell you that right now,” he said.

In both innings, Delhi’s two improvised openers seemed completely lost against the shifting ball. For the most of his age group career, wicketkeeper-battler Lakshay Thareja has batted in the middle order, but Yash Dhull has opened in the past. “At times, it’s about combinations,” the coach justified the action.

“Yash Dhull gets runs in his first game. Additionally, the second inning started out with a 50-run lead. Thus, combinations are sometimes important. You must act in the team’s best interests. However, we’ll see what lineup we use moving forward. After determining the kind of wicket we are playing on in Jammu and Kashmir, we will make a decision. “The injured players are still working on getting fit,” he said in closing.