Delhi Capitals’ fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who was the Player of the Match in the eight-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday, believes that the match against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday will not be an easy game. He added that the team will have to quickly adapt to the conditions in Abu Dhabi. Delhi, the runners-up of IPL 2020, are seated at the top of points table with 14 points from nine matches.

“We’ll have to quickly assess the conditions in Abu Dhabi and see what we need to do. It’s not going to be an easy game and the heat will be a major factor as well. Hopefully, we can just control our skills and focus on what we need to do. It’s going to be a very good challenge for us and I am really looking forward to it,” said Nortje in a virtual press conference on Friday.

Nortje, who recorded the top eight fastest deliveries of the IPL 2021 season in his first appearance in the tournament with the fastest being 151.71 km/h, disclosed that he doesn’t search for high speeds when bowling. “I don’t think about bowling speeds on the field but I do think about it when I am doing my strength training. High speed is not something I search for on the field. I just try to hit the right lengths while bowling during a game.”

Asked about his experience of working with head coach Ricky Ponting, Nortje said, “It’s great having Ricky Ponting in our camp. I love his chats and he breaks things down very nicely and makes everything easy to understand. He’s quite clear on what he wants. I am trying to learn as much as possible from him. We enjoy working with him and hopefully, we can grow as a unit with him.”

The 27-year-old Nortje was appreciative of young pacer Avesh Khan, who is currently the highest-wicket taker for Delhi in tournament with 14 wickets. “Some of us have been looking at how Avesh is landing his yorkers and how he has been going about things. He has been so good for us. It was especially nice to see him land his yorkers in the first half of the season in India. It’s been so nice to see him progress as a bowler. All in all, he has got a lot of skill and I think he has got a bright future ahead of him.”