'I was just hitting him for sixes all the time': Shimron Hetmyer on facing India bowler in Delhi Capitals nets
IPL 2021: Shimron Hetmyer is gearing up for a fresh IPL season in style, hitting them big in the nets.
Explosive Delhi Capitals batsman Shimron Hetmyer is geared up not only for a fresh season of IPL ahead but also to be playing along with and under his one-time rival captain Rishabh Pant.
Pant and Hetmyer were part of India and West Indies' respective Under-19 World Cup squad in the year 2016. Under Hetmyer, West Indies beat India by five wickets in the final to clinch the trophy and while Pant did not captain India (Ishan Kishan was the captain), Hetmyer and the India wicketkeeper emerged as the two best young batting prospects from the tournament.
Five years later, as both have become an integral part of their national sides, Hetmyer, who joined DC ahead of the previous season, is eager to get going and playing under Pant, and backs his captain to pass the test of captaincy with flying colours.
"Happy and sad at the same time because Shreyas Isn’t here and I think it’s pretty good. I’m happy for him. [We] basically played against him from Under-19, so I’m really happy for him. Playing with him, playing under him will be a good challenge. It’s a good challenge for him and I think he will live up to it very well," Hetmyer told Delhi Capitals TV.
Hetmyer, who is talked about as one of the next big things in West Indies cricket, hasn't had much success in the IPL so far. From 17 matches, Hetmyer has managed to score 275 runs with just one half-century.
Last year, he played 12 games for DC, scoring 185 runs from 12 games, and while those were slightly better than his numbers for RCB in 2019, the left-handed batsman is believed to be better than that. With Hetmyer finally out of quarantine, the West Indies batsman is currently soaking the cricketing atmosphere in India.
"It felt great coming back out today… after seven days, to be honest. Back home I was sitting just a little bit. But to be back in Delhi, in India to be honest is really good to be here. I’m really enjoying it so far and even the first day, I’m enjoying it. Started enjoying it from the first day really, so more to come," he said.
When DCTV asked him about his banter with teammate Amit Mishra in the nets, Hetmyer said: "He was just trying to get me out but it wasn’t happening. I wasn’t getting out’; I wasn’t taking any of that. I was just hitting him for sixes all the time so it was nothing at all. No need to worry," Hetmyer said.
Delhi Capitals play their first match of IPL 2021 against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.