IPl
Former Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori is all set to take over the reins of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Vettori, who stepped down from the Black Caps captaincy after leading them to the World Cup semi-final, is looking to RCB’s Chief Mentor Anil Kumble to guide him in his new role, especially in helping him build a rapport with his new IPL team.
“Anil [Kumble’s] presence is really important for me. He has led this team extremely well in the past. His knowledge of the conditions, the team, players and his overall expertise of the game is exceptional. So from the personal and team’s point of view, Anil’s presence will be immensely beneficial. I am looking forward to gather as much information as I can,” Vettori said.
Anil Kumble, in turn, was all praise for his successor and fellow spinner.
“Vettori is a hugely respected professional not only within his team but amongst his international peers as well,” Kumble said in a press release issued on Tuesday. “His unique ability to get players to perform as a unit and deliver more than just the sum of their parts, as he has done time and again with New Zealand, will be a big asset to any team,” the veteran leg-spinner explained.
Vettori feels his first goal as RCB skipper would be to guide the young Indian players and nurture their talent.
“We have to ensure that the young Indian guys feel part of the party and get them ready so that we can go all the way. There are a few talented young Indian guys here and we will be looking to interact with them and take the pressure off them”, said Vettori.
“We have some really exciting young local players here. [CM] Gautam and [Abhimanyu] Mithun have impressed with their attitude and it will be really good for local players to get a few chances and be part of the environment,” he added.
The left-arm spinner, who represented the Delhi Daredevils in the past three seasons of the IPL, is pleased to see his old teammates Tillakaratne Dilshan, AB de Villiers and Dirk Nannes in the RCB camp.
“It will be quite helpful. Dilshan, AB and Nannes have been around with me for three years [at Delhi Daredevils], and so it will be a bit comfortable for us as a group to come and be part of the new environment,” Vettori admitted.
What further boosts the New Zealander’s confidence going into his new job is the presence of Zaheer Khan and Virat Kohli.
“Zaheer and Virat are key parts of the Team RC. Both of them are high on confidence after winning the World Cup and hopefully they can take that confidence into the IPL and help the team go all the way,” said Vettori.
