ITC, Kakatiya                                                                                                             

The mood in the camp is disappointing. The team knew they had the firepower to make it to the playoffs but, mistakes in one of the three departments in crucial games hampered their chances. The team had just finished with the team photograph and the players were getting ready to leave and Darren Lehmann, the man who brought the cup home in 2009, was kind enough to have chat with us.

The season did not go well for the Chargers. What are your thoughts about that?

Well, we had five games that we definitely should have won that would have put us in contention for the play offs but, we made mistakes at crucial times, younger guys needed more experience and us not finishing the games as a team but, we know where we’ve got to improve and we will be working hard over the next twelve months and make sure that we don’t repeat the mistakes we have made this season.

Are you satisfied with the young players this season?

I was and with the experience they gained but, they must improve at a much faster rate for us next year and they know that. We’ve already spoken to them about it. Veer Pratap Singh and Anand Rajan are going to be good next season. We’re really impressed with them and the way they improved and now they have to get stronger and fitter for the next season and develop their skills to play at this level.

We’ve seen a lot of games when the team batting first has scored more than 180 runs this season. What do you think is the major reason for that?

Ah, I think the teams are getting better mate - Chasing and setting totals, Knowing and understanding the game. The bowlers also have started to get better and there is a lot of improvement. Early on in the tournament the players were trying to find out about the other players and also the wickets were slower but now, everyone knows what they want and naturally, scores are going to be high.

What are the positives that you are going to take to the next season?

The experience gained by some of the younger guys and I am hopeful that will come useful for us on the field and the experience we gained from close games - we are always in the hunt with our young side which is a good sign.

Shikhar Dhawan has come good for the Chargers this season. What are your thoughts on the player and his talent?

Shikhar has been fantastic really. He has a chance to play for India after his performances here. He did that last year as well but he has improved and made an extra hundred runs or so this year. If he continues to improve then we have a quality opener up the order next year.

We’ve missed Ishant Sharma. What do you think was the impact of that on the Chargers?

We’ve missed Ishy, yes. It’s a big impact missing Ishy and also Mishy (Amit Mishra) was injured for most of the season and hasn’t been back to his best and so hopefully he comes good next year with a good twelve months in domestic cricket and we get him back firing like the previous season.

The DC fans have always been supportive of the DC. Your thoughts on that?

Yeah, they’ve been fantastic considering they’ve had heartbreak losses like all of us and they’ve hurt just as much. I think the fans remained with us and hopefully we’ll be bigger, stronger and better so that we can be a better team and give them a great show.