Gary Kirsten Feels Both Batting and Bowling Failed Delhi Daredevils

After a string of poor performances by his team, Delhi Daredevils coach Gary Kirsten on Monday, said lacklustre bowling and inconsistent batting have been hurting them in the tournament.

"Our bowling has not been up to the mark and batting has been inconsistent. We need to do something good. In T20 format, we need to do a lot," Kirsten told reporters ahead of Delhi Daredevils IPL match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chinnaswamy stadium here on Tuesday.

Lying at the bottom of the table, Delhi have won just two of their nine games and coach Kirsten wants his team to make use the conditions well in order to improve.

"We need to make best of the conditions and need to improve a lot. One or two players need to score big runs. We need couple of partnerships to win the game," said the former South African opener.

The critics might have come down heavily on skipper Kevin Pietersen but Kirsten backed the England batsman, saying "KP is an inspirational captain".

"When he is playing well, he goes for big score. He has been a fantastic captain. Younger players look to him for tips and inspiration," Kirsten said.

Pietersen came good in the last game, scoring a 19-ball 35, albeit in a losing cause against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kirsten feels that the skipper is striking good form.

"But like any captain, when he's playing well he can add another 20 per cent to his game. He got going in the last game, deciding to open to free him up a little bit. Looks like he has got something going for him, and hope it is the start of something good for him," he further said.

Daredevils have lost matches despite putting up 160-plus scores and Kirsten said batsmen must take more responsibility.

"JP Duminy and Dinesh Karthik have been good with their bats and scoring well. We should have got big scores."

Kirsten, who successfully coached the Indian national team to the 2011 World Cup triumph, said coaching a T20 side was a different challenge.

"Coaching a national side involves a lot more pressure, and performance is at stake. Whereas, when you coach a domestic T20 side, you can do much more as coach. You can do a lot more with new players, you can pick squad and that's a very different challenge," he said.

While critics have slammed Delhi's think-tank for sending the talented Duminy at No.6, Kirsten feels that it's a catch-22 situation for the side as far as the Proteas left-hander's position is concerned.

"You want your best batsman facing more number of balls. But also you want to see best of both worlds, and you also want him to be finishing. It's a bit of catch 22," he said.

Replying to a query, Kirsten said Mohammad Shami was their key bowler and was improving, especially after losing Nathan Coulter-Nile early in the tournament.

"He is our key bowler. Loss of Coulter-Nile early in the tournament has hit our bowling. Shami, who replaced him, has been improving," he said.