Press Trust of India
Chennai, April 8: Injuries seem to be a permanent companion of India discard Irfan Pathan as the Baroda all-rounder has again reported unfit even before the ball has started rolling for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who will face Delhi Daredevils in their opening IPL encounter here Thursday.
Pathan suffered the injury while training Tuesday and chief coach Stephen Fleming confirmed Wednesday that the left-arm seamer will not be available for selection against Daredevils.
“Irfan (Pathan) is not fit. Another pacer Andrew Tye is also carrying an injury. They won’t be considered for selection at this stage. Their progress will be assessed on a day to day basis,” Fleming told the media here.
The former New Zealand captain was also all praise for Daredevils coach Gary Kirsten and captain JP Duminy. “Delhi are a new side. So getting to know each other might take some time. But then that doesn’t mean we can take them lightly,” stated Fleming. “I rate Gary Kirsten very highly. His man-management skills are brilliant. JP (Duminy) is also quite a good captain. They have plenty of experience in their side,” he added.
Meanwhile Duminy on his part candidly stated that they were the underdogs going into the game. “Definitely CSK have the upper hand going by their track record in the IPL. They have been a consistent performing team. That gives us an opportunity to play with freedom and express ourselves and I am sure we will do that,” Duminy stated.
