"Warner, Ishant will take one more week to be fully fit": DC assistant coach Pravin Amre

David Warner (Photo: IPL/ BCCI)

New Delhi [India], April 27 (ANI): Delhi Capitals assistant coach Pravin Amre on Saturday provided injury update on star players David Warner and Ishant Sharma after the win against Mumbai Indians (MI) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match.

In a post-match press conference, Delhi Capitals’ assistant coach Amre said veteran batter Warner and experienced pacer Ishant will need another week to regain full fitness.

Warner got injured on the finger while attempting a lap shot against the Lucknow Super Giants on April 12. He missed DC’s next match against the Gujarat Titans, but he did play against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 20 while Ishant was recovering from back spasms.

“I think Warner will take one more week [to be fully fit] and so will Ishant. Ishant had back spasms, which happened on the field two games ago. Warner had a hand injury, which is yet to heal. He had an MRI, which showed the injury for which he needed rest for two to three weeks. I feel they will be ready for selection when we return to Delhi,” Amre said in a post-match presentation.

DC’s next match is against Kolkata Knight Riders, in Kolkata, on April 29 before they return home to play against Rajasthan Royals on May 7. In the match against MI, opener Prithvi Shaw also sat out with illness.

“Prithvi was not feeling well when we reached the ground. So we decided that if he was not 100 per cent fit, we would go with [Abishek] Porel,” Amre said.

DC’s victory over MI was orchestrated by Jake Fraser-McGurk’s 84 off 27 balls, which drove them to 257/4. Fraser-McGurk was not the original part of the squad, but after Lungi Ngidi was ruled out of the competition, DC drafted him in as a substitute player.

“He played three games for Dubai Capitals [in the ILT20] and our scouting team was very keen to have him [for the IPL]. Once we got an opportunity to have a replacement, even though we had a choice between a couple of players, we picked him. He played just three innings [in the ILT20] before leaving to play for Australia but even in that, he played a couple of match-winning innings. Those knocks were something special. Given he is a young, exciting cricketer, we decided to back him,” Amre said.

Fraser-McGurk did not play the first five games of the season for DC, but he has since smashed 247 runs in five innings, including three half-centuries, at a strike rate of 237.5.

“Yes, he had to wait for four-five games before getting a chance. But even when we were watching him in the nets, he had something different, that X-factor. Even today, he just opened up the game and because of his innings we were 92 for no loss after six overs,” Delhi Capitals assistant coach said.

“He is a natural. If you see his set-up, he believes in a stable base. And he has excellent hand speed. And when you are batting in the powerplay, you have only one fielder on the leg side. So that’s a good area to hit; even a mis-hit can get you a boundary,” Amre added.

Having lost four of their first five games, DC won four of their last five to place themselves back in playoff contention and will take on KKR at the Eden Gardens on Monday. (ANI)

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