Daredevils can still win seven in a row, says Botha

Delhi Daredevils’ off-spinner Johan Botha still belives that his team can win seven matches in a row and stay alive in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Delhi franchise suffered their seventh loss in eight games Tuesday after they were beaten by five wickets by Kings XI Punjab. They are wallowing at the bottom of the points table at present.

The South African admitted that Daredevils batting strategy is not working at the moment and their batsmen are finding the fielders – not gaps – and making silly mistakes at crucial times.

“I think in twenty20 cricket you have to keep playing your shots, you cannot just try and defend (while batting), you have to go out and play. Against the Mumbai Indians. it worked for us but tonight it did not,” he told IPLT20.com.

Botha said the team is going through a bad phase and the role of the senior and experienced players has became more crucial.

“It is not always about the bat and ball. Now it is about staying strong in the group and picking the guys up around you and taking care of the young Indians, guys who probably haven’t been in this situation before,” he said.

“We know that we won’t play every game but when you are in the side and not playing, you got to support the guys who are on the field as much as you can.”

Botha admitted that their strategy to send David Warner lower down the order did not work because middle-order and the lower-order didn’t support him.

“I think it is the right decision. We have obviously got power at the top with Mahela and Viru (Virendra Sehwag), who played really well the other day (against Mumbai Indians). We just want to space it out a little bit, I think.”

“In the previous two games we had the young Indian players in the middle-order and we just needed some more experience. Davy (David Warner) played really well but the middle order and the lower order didn’t really support him so,” he said.

Botha said he enjoys playing with his compatriot Roelof van der Merwe.

“If we get to play together again in the next few games, we can do a good job for the team. He has obviously been a very passionate player and I have missed that. In the last bit of my career, he was not in the team and we have played for a while together in the middle parts of our careers. He always gives hundred percent and that’s the way I like to play and he is just a great guy to play with,” he said.