'Indian players will be the difference'

New Delhi: The dressing room of the Delhi Dardevils features a few legends of the game. Glenn McGrath, for instance, is their opening bowler, and the legendary Dennis Lillee is an advisor with the team. CNN-IBN's Sports Editor Gaurav Kalra got a chance to sit down with the pair and the vice-captain of the team, Gautam Gambhir.

Gaurav Kalra: Glenn, as an Australian cricketer, you always spoke about the intensity that Australian cricketers bring to their cricket, the passion that they play the game with. Do you feel in this league as well, that there is intensity or is there an element of it being a little cosmetic, with the fact that these teams have been put together, that is one of the criticisms.

Glenn McGrath: I think that ultimately the team that goes through and wins it is the team that gels the best. Also, the young local guys coming through are going to make the difference whether you win or lose. The senior players are guys that have played a lot of international cricket can help, but they can't do it all.

So, I think when you're out there playing, it's going to be intense, it's the format of the game where it's just 20 overs, everything is happening all the time. You have to be on your toes and be ready for anything. So, playing is intense, but when you are in the training you have to be enjoying it too.

Gaurav Kalra: A lot of people talked about which team has got it right, which team has got it wrong. But the Delhi Daredevils didn't get talked about that much, because of a lot of low profile cricketers that were purchased. Do you believe that the team has got it to go all the way?

Gautam Gambhir: It's not about the profile of the cricketers, it's not about being low profile. Ultimately, the important thing is to go out there and deliver in the ground. And the team that plays well as a unit will have all the ability to be one of the best sides in the tournament.

Gaurav Kalra: But they say it's going to be the death of bowling, or at least it's going to affect the way youngsters think about cricket. Why should I be a bowler when everyone is going after me and there is no reason for me to be a bowler. The sexy bit of this cricket is batting.

Dennis Lillee: Doesn't history repeat itself? I heard them talking about this 30-odd years ago when One-day cricket came in, and they said it will be the death of the bowlers. But he (pointing to McGrath) didn't do too bad, did he?

Good bowlers will adapt to any sort of cricket and we can go at 10-10 if you like. A good bowler will adapt. Certainly, it's more in favour of the batsmen, no doubt about that. But a good bowler will find a way.

Glenn McGrath: It's a batsman's game. I think we have the batsmen running the game as well. But you have a plan for Test cricket, you have a plan for One-day cricket. The guys have to think up a plan for Twenty20. In Test cricket you try to go under two runs an over, for me in One-day cricket I always tried to keep it four runs or less an over.

Obviously, here you have to take that again, so whether you say 'okay, if I can keep it to under seven or eight runs an over, then I have done my job.' So, it's a different mindset.

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