Nortje, Ishant are fully fit to play against RR: Ganguly

Jaipur, Mar 27 (PTI) Delhi Capitals' Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly said pacers Anrich Nortje and Ishant Sharma have regained full fitness, bolstering their bowling attack ahead of the IPL clash against Rajasthan Royals here on Thursday.

Led by Rishabh Pant, who returned to the cricket field after almost 15 months following a horrific car crash, DC didn't have the best of starts, losing by four wickets against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Chandigarh last Saturday.

But Ganguly said it is just the start of a long tournament and it augurs well for DC that the likes of Nortje and Ishant have regained full fitness.

"It's just the early part of the tournament. We worked hard before the season, and hopefully, we will play well. The first game in Chandigarh didn't go our way because we lost Ishant, but that's the way it is in T20s. It's a new game tomorrow," Ganguly said in a release.

"We are full strength now, with Nortje back in the side. With Nortje, Khaleel (Ahmed), Mukesh (Kumar) and Ishant back in the team and fit, and with the two spinners Axar (Patel) and Kuldeep (Yadav), our bowling is definitely our strength."

"With Rishabh back as well, the batting has got stronger than what it was last year because in IPL if you lose a major Indian player, it becomes a big hole to fill." While Nortje missed DC's IPL opener as he was yet to recover fully from a back injury, Ishant just bowled two overs before limping off the field with a twisted ankle.

Ganguly feels batting is an area where DC needs to work upon.

"What needs to get better is we need to bat well, and if you do it, you will win a lot of matches because we do have that bowling," he said.

DC's next opponents Rajasthan Royals have started their IPL 2024 campaign with a 20-run win over Lucknow Super Giants.

"They are a good team, there's no doubt about it. Our record against them is also good over the years. When you play the same teams over and over again every year, there will be times when you lose and there will be times when you win, so it's a new day tomorrow."

"We have the players who can perform, and hopefully will do it tomorrow,"Ganguly said.

Excited to be back after a long break: Nortje

Nortje has been away from the game due to a stress fracture in his back that had ruled him out of the World Cup last year.

The South Africa pacer is excited to back.

'It’s good to be back on the field again. There is high intensity and great training sessions are taking place. There are world-class players and coaches around. It is very good to be involved with the team again,' Nortje said in a video posted by Delhi Capitals on X.

"It’s been a while and I have played three domestic games so far. The intensity in nets is great. Really excited to get going. I had a long extended break so that my body can recover properly."