Daredevils surprise weapon

Rookie spinner Shahbaz Nadeem thrives in his restricting role in IPL Vs opening games.

Delhi Daredevils fast bowler Morne Morkel might have been adjudged the player of the match against Chennai Super Kings at Ferozeshah Kotla on Tuesday when he sent packing packing Francois du Plessis and MS Dhoni,but an opinion many of his team members echoed was that the three overs by Shahbaz Nadeem in the latter half of the innings was the turning point of the game. With the destructive pair of Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo at the crease,Nadeem successfully blocked them with his accurate stump-to-stump bowling,making it tough for CSK batsmen to score freely.

His three over-spell was a part of the six overs between 13 and 17,saw CSK managing just 16 runs,out of which nine runs were given away by Nadeem. Despite the fact that Dhoni,who has mastered the art of playing spin,and Bravo,who may not look comfortable negotiating spin but is capable of muscling the ball with power,had no answers to Nadeems testing line. And with CSK already down on wickets,their weak approach to the spinners meant both Dhoni and Bravo fell at the hands of faster bowlers in order to pace up the scoring rate.

After such a good start given by Morne Morkel and Irfan Pathan,our spells were very crucial. Van der Merwe and I had planned a line for both these players,as we were brought in after 10 overs,I am happy to have contributed to the cause. The runs werent easily coming so I was only thinking to bowl as many dot balls as possible, said Nadeem,talking to the Sportline.

While bowling to Dhoni,it was a test of patience for Nadeem. The Indian skipper could have employed any shot to break his rhythm but Nadeems straighter line forced Dhoni to keep placing him for ones. As I also play alongside Dhoni bhai in Jharkhand team,I am aware of his style. Our practice in the Daredevils camp has been advanced and Van der Merwe and I had actually studied videos of both Dhoni bhai and Bravo. We came to know that both these players dont play the sweep shot and hence thought the middle stump line would be the most effective tool. At most Dhoni bhai was playing the on-drive which I was satisfied with. My idea was to give him a single and bowl as much to Bravo. He didnt experiment and I kept hitting the same length. In the 18 balls I bowled,10 were dot balls with Bravo playing nine and Dhoni bhai one. I am content with my performance and I hope it continues making the team win, he added.

It has been Nadeems third IPL season and thought he started with the Mumbai Indians for the first year,he has played all his eight matches wearing the Daredevils jersey. During the initial matches last year,he wasnt a part of the first sixteen and used to stay back in the hotels,waiting for his chance. But with Delhi struggling with spinners,Nadeems moment arrived and he finished with four wickets in five matches. After he furthered his credentials,the team has started relying on him and Van der Merwe in the spin department. Although in the three matches he has played this season he has scalped just one wicket,his economy rate has been the talking point amongst senior players.

Now that I am playing in a team full of world class medium pacers,my role in the team becomes important as I have to carry their good work through. Normally I think I may not get to bowl but once I am handed the ball,my basic plan is to bowl straight,bowl dot balls and to keep it simple. I take my bowling match by match and every time I hope to raise my individual performance, said Nadeem. Ask him if the Team India skipper and his Jharkhand senior Dhoni praised him after the match,he said,He told me your middle stump line was quite effective and I wasnt able to hit,so well bowled.