'Nortje will take time to get better after injury lay-off': Delhi Capitals bowling coach James Hopes

NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals bowling coach James Hopes remains optimistic about Anrich Nortje 's resurgence, acknowledging his recent struggles against Rajasthan Royals . Despite Nortje's expensive spell, Hopes believes in his potential, attributing the challenges to his return after a six-month hiatus from competitive cricket.

"I won't say too much bad about the bowlers. They just tried to execute. It was a good first half with the ball but got away from us a little bit in the last five years. It's the first time that Nortje has been at this level in a while. He had a fair time out of the game, but if you look at all the numbers, he is one of the premier death bowlers in the game. We trust that he is going to keep getting better," Hopes stated, defending the Proteas pacer's performance.

Reflecting on the team's overall performance, Hopes emphasized the need for improvement in both bowling and batting departments, especially during the critical final overs. He highlighted the significance of Rishabh Pant 's role in stabilizing the middle-order batting, saying "We need to tidy up our middle over batting too. We tend to get stuck a little bit in phases there. We know the fix for that is Rishabh Pant."

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With their next challenge against Chennai Super Kings , Hopes remains confident in the team's ability to bounce back. "He has played two games after a long lay-off and I think you're going to see some pretty special things from him in the next few weeks," he concluded optimistically.

Delhi Capitals will face Chennai Super Kings at the ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

(Inputs from PTI)