It's amazing to see explosive and dynamic Rishabh Pant play, opines Alex Carey

08/23/2020

Alex Carey, who is set for his first IPL stint with the Delhi Capitals, stated that he was looking forward to playing alongside ‘explosive and dynamic’ Rishabh Pant and talking to him about his mindset. Carey also added that he was keen to speak to Shikhar Dhawan and pick his brain.

A prolific run-scorer in the Big Bash League for Adelaide Strikers, Alex Carey was bought by Delhi Capitals for a sum of INR 2.4 crore (US$ 320,000 approx.) in the last auction. Carey, who would be playing his first IPL, stated that he is excited to share the dressing room with "explosive and dynamic" Rishabh Pant and have a good chat with Pant about his mindset.

"I suppose, you know, chatting to Rishabh and the way he plays his cricket. Obviously, wicketkeeper-batsman and he's so explosive and dynamic, as a batsman," Carey said of his fellow wicketkeeper-batsman at the Capitals during a virtual press conference in Australia as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.com.

"It will be great to talk to him, he's quite unconventional in some of his cricket shots, it's amazing to see him play, so probably have a good chat about the mindset with him."

Australia's white-ball wicketkeeper-batsman Carey views the IPL as an opportunity to garner experience in different conditions, rub shoulders with some of the more experienced players, and use the tournament as a springboard for the two T20 World Cups in India and Australia over the next two years. The Adelaide Strikers vice-captain also said that he was keen to speak to an experienced top-order batsman like Shikhar Dhawan.

"Yeah, it's really exciting. It will be my first opportunity playing the IPL, so firstly it's just exciting to be a part of that competition, which we all watch and admire around the world in the T20 format," Carey said.

"And then leading into the T20 World Cups in the next couple of years… it's a great opportunity to play against the best in the world, in different conditions as well. All the net sessions we're going to have, we're going to make sure we're playing against the great spinners at Delhi Capitals, and speaking to a lot of those players - Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane and all those senior guys - picking their brains really. Add Ricky Ponting (head coach) in as well, it's a pretty exciting list of players and staff members we've got in Delhi.

"Shikhar Dhawan is so experienced in the top order, and has performed on massive occasions as well. Again, another left-hand batter. So [I am] keen to speak to him."

After a long transfer saga in late 2019, R Ashwin was traded to Delhi Capitals and will be teaming up with Carey, who has impressed with his ability to tackle spin in a short career so far, in the Delhi Capitals squad. The South Australian wicket-keeper batsman insisted that he is relishing the prospect of coming up against his new teammate R Ashwin in practice.

"Ashwin is an amazing spinner and I want to face him once in the nets as well, just to put yourself up against some of those guys," added Carey.