'Zaheer's form a concern'

Obviously, one expect a lot better figures than these from a quality bowler like Zaheer, a fact not lost on RCB chief coach Ray Jennings. “Yeah, I think you can say Zaheer’s form is a concern,” said the South African here on the eve of their clash against Delhi Daredevils. Jennings, however, hoped that the left-arm quick will take his bad form as a motivation to do well. “...But then again, he is the type of bowler who will wake up tomorrow morning and give you four-five wickets. I think he is unpredictable, a match-winner and he is one of the top bowlers in India.

“He hasn’t been in good form but that’s probably the biggest motivation for him to come back and produce an outstanding performance that can win us the game,” he elaborated.     
As experienced players, skipper Daniel Vettori believed, the onus was on Zaheer and himself to contain Delhi’s crack opening duo of Virender Sehwag and David Warner. “I have played a lot against Sehwag in international cricket and the strategies haven’t always worked. But I think Zaheer is going to be important for us. The experienced bowlers have to do the most against those two and that’s going to be Zaheer and myself.”

Jennings felt the quality of bowling in the on-going IPL hadn’t been up to the mark. “First of all, I don’t think you find green wickets in India,” he retorted when asked if the green cover on the surface for Tuesday’s match could be misleading.

“I don’t think you find enough grass in India to classify them as green wickets. And the other thing is it’s a contest between bat and ball and the standard of bowling in the IPL hasn’t been up to scratch. Batsmen have generally dominated but hopefully our skills will come good tomorrow.”