Age Correspondent
New Delhi, Oct. 20: A Twenty20 match is all about fours and sixes with the batsmen calling the shots most times. However, the Champions League T20 matches at the Ferozeshah Kotla have been a struggle for the batters so far.
The uneven nature of the Kotla track has had everyone stumped. Semi-finalists New South Wales Blues and Victoria Bushrangers both believe they have the edge since they know what to expect from the track.
"It won’t be a disadvantage for us since we know how the surface will behave. A total of 130-140 can be defended on this pitch," Bushrangers skipper Cameron White said on the eve of their semifinal against the Blues here.
"It helps to have played here because the batsmen need sometime to get used to the pace of the wicket. That is why, the Cobras found it really tough yesterday," Blues skipper Simon Katich added.
The Blues-Bushrangers rivalry has been going on for a long time, featuring closely fought matches in the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. "It has been a really intense rivalry between the two side," Katich said.
"We have had a lot of interesting battles in the past and have also been practising together in the couple of weeks leading up to the tournament.
"It will be interesting to play at a neutral venue with hardly any crowd support. But I think some of the Delhiites will cheer for us because Brett (Lee) is in our side and they love him here."
On the early exit of the IPL teams, the NSW skipper said, "We only play about five domestic T20 matches a year, while the IPL teams play about 14. So I don’t think it was about gelling as a team but more about starting off well. We were off to a winning start and found it easier later on."