All-rounders will hold the key

Teams brimming with talent

Merwe was one of the success stories for RCB in the second edition of the Indian Premier League in South Africa where the left-arm spinner put the batsmen through the wringer with some accurate spells. The burly Protean was aware of the spin-friendly nature of the Indian pitches, and said he could not wait to turn his arm here.

“The surfaces here will suit my kind of bowling. There will be a bit of spin as the game goes on, making it tough for the batsmen to score off you. But the smallish nature of grounds here does not allow any margin for error for bowlers, so that’s going to be a challenge to adapt to the conditions pretty quickly,” Merwe said on Tuesday.

“During the second edition of IPL, we have seen the role spinners can play especially in the second half of a game. With Indian pitches tending to assist spinners, I guess, the role of tweakers will be far more important in the Champions League,” he added.
Kallis hoped that his all-round abilities and experience in playing in sub-continental conditions would stand him and the team in good stead.

“I have enjoyed playing in these conditions. Experience will play a big role and everyone knows how important all-rounders are in T20. I have played many times before in these conditions and it will obviously be an advantage. I hope I can contribute both with the bat and ball,” Kallis said.

Merwe might not have years of experience to fall back upon, but he has a certain Anil Kumble in his side to seek guidance. The stocky tweaker acknowledged the role of Kumble in his growth as a spinner.    

“Anil is a great spinner and a very good thinker of the game. It has been my privilege to interact with him and learn the nuances of spin. The way he approaches a match, the way he plans for each rival batsmen...it is a study class.” 

Trinidad’s strength

Trinidad and Tobago is another team teeming with all-rounders, and skipper Darren Ganga agreed that the presence of multi-dimensional players could spur their campaign.
“We have some good all-rounders like Dwayne Bravo, Rayad Emrit and Lendl Simmons. All-rounders are our strength and in T20 and in Indian conditions these type of players are going to be important,” Ganga said.

DH News Service