“Bad batting, that's all,” said a disappointed Delhi coach K.P. Bhaskar, summing up his team’s massive defeat by an innings and 160 runs against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy Group B match at the Eden Gardens here on Saturday.
> Report: Karnataka decimates Delhi
Bhaskar said the track had nothing to do with the poor batting of Delhi, which scored 90 and 164 in two innings. “The pitch was perfectly fine. I wouldn't blame the track, it was not a 90-run pitch, to be honest. We batted very badly, we did harakiri.
"The application wasn't there at all, which is something that is very surprising because in the last two matches we really showed character and were focused. We just messed it up here,” said the Delhi coach.
Bhaskar, who played for Delhi with a lot of pride for more than a decade in a career spanning 95 first-class matches, said,
“I always tell these boys 'When you represent Delhi, you're not just representing yourself or your state. You are representing the whole cricket fraternity. You're talking about people like Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Jimmy (Mohinder) Amarnath and Madan Lal. They've set some standards, they've had character.'
"It's the adaptability to such pitches (which is important).”
Asked whether Delhi batsmen’s technique was an issue, Bhaskar said, “We are used to playing 40 over games. We don't have three-day formats, we don't really play the Buchi Babus and the KSCA (tournaments). So what happened was I got the team two days before (the start of the season). There was not much of mental preparation.
“Whatever they were doing was on their own. So I really don't know. That is something which we need to work on. A system has to fall into place, we have to have more opportunities of playing exposure (matches) and try to build a team before getting into the Ranji Trophy.”
On whether problems in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) had an effect on its game, Bhaskar said, “Definitely. I think I told you last time the Under-23 boys had 45 players playing. So how long is it going to take for them to reach to the Ranji Trophy level?
"Tomorrow if things don't improve we might have 50 players playing in the Ranji Trophy in the eight matches. Things need to be put in place but at least there's a start, things are looking good. Justice (Mukul) Mudgal has taken this initiative. It's a start, let's hope things improve,” he said.
