Daredevils coach confident of doing well in IPL

New Delhi, Apr 18 (UNI) In high spirits on the eve of the Delhi Daredevils' opening match of the IPL against Rajasthan Royals, coach TA Shekhar today expressed confidence his team will do well in the tournament.

''I am confident my boys will prove their mettle in the IPL,'' Shekhar told mediapersons here. ''Delhi players will prove to be good Twenty20 players because in the past they have played a lot of 40 over matches.

''Adapting from the forty over game to the twenty over game is not so difficult.'' Meanwhile, Shekhar was happy with the team composition and preparations of the Daredevils.

''Apart from international players like Tilakratne Dilshan and McGrath, we have Rajat Bhatia, Mithun Manhas and Shikhar Dhawan who are as good as any international player especially in one-dayers and Twenty20,'' he said ''The team is preparing well for the last 8-10 days. We have played two practice matches. The team is in very good shape,'' he added. ''We know exactly where we are standing and everything is going according to plan.'' He was not unduly worried about the absence of Shoaib Malik, Mohd Asif and AB De Villiers during the home match against Rajasthan Royals tomorrow.

''They are definitely good players but the composition of our team is such that our performance will not be affected,'' he remarked.

Commenting on the pitch, Shekhar said,''it is a typical Delhi wicket. Right now it is very difficult to judge its pace but it will be a good sporting wicket, helpful for both bowlers and batsmen.'' He, however cautioned that Rajasthan captain Shane Warne will the player to watch out for in tomorrow's match.

''Warne is a great bowler,'' he said. ''He does not depend on the pitch. He can produce match-winning spells on any wicket.'' UNI RKM AB BST2121