Zaheer Khan is still optimistic about Daredevils’ chances of making it to the play-offs. (Source: BCCI/IPL)

Making an impact straightaway after a near year-long sabbatical due to injury, veteran speedster Zaheer Khan said that he will get better and better as he bowls more in competitive match situation.

The left-arm paceman took two early wickets to give Delhi Daredevils side a good start but he said he was still not at his best.

“It was good to be back. I am glad things have worked out well. Definitely it’s not the best as I call it but I am happy to be able to bowl properly,” Zaheer said after his team’s crushing nine-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab.

According to 36-year-old Zaheer, the thing that he missed the most was aggressive batsmen taking him on a challenge of an on-field duel.

“I enjoyed the pressures of a batsman coming at you. I was playing after a year and it was tough. It was good to feel that pressure. These are the things I missed. The pressure of setting the field, having to think about it. I was nervous but I felt good. We executed the plans well,” relief was palpable in his statement.

Asked about comments from a certain section of media which wrote him off, Zaheer sounded dismissive.

“It was their job to write. That’s the way it goes. My career will be over and I will say that it is over.”

Talking about his dismissal of dangerous Virender Sehwag off the second delivery of the KXIP innings, Zaheer said,”You can’t give him (Sehwag) room. The wicket was on slower side and it worked in my favour.”

The out-of-favour paceman is still optimistic about Daredevils’ chances of making it to the play-offs.

“It’s about winning eight games to make it. We now have to win 4 out of the remaining 6 games. That’s how we are looking at it. We will keep our focus and look at the positive things,” he signed off.

KXIP are struggling at the bottom of the table. (Source: PTI)

Having suffered their sixth defeat in eight games, the chances of Kings XI Punjab chief coach Sanjay Bangar knows only too well that the campaign for last year’s finalists are all but over and he is now hoping for a “miracle” to get into the last-four stage.

The former India all-rounder said that he would take the blame for team’s poor run even though the performance of his batsmen disappointed him.

“No one has clicked and that’s why we are in this position. But there is no reason why tide can’t be turned. If I was given credit for last year’s good show, I should take the blame for this year’s poor show too.”

KXIP lost by nine wickets to Daredevils to remain at the bottom of the eight-team table.

“Miracles do happen. There have been occasion and teams have turned it around. We will take one game at a time and we are expecting a turn around,” Bangar said.

The coach defended the exclusion of Glenn Maxwell and Murali Vijay from the squad.

“Marsh and Miller have won us the games and Bailey too has contributed. Unfortunately some one had to miss out and it was Maxwell.”

“Vijay got seven opportunities in a row but could not give us good starts. Viru (Virender Sehwag) being the local boy here knew the conditions, so he was picked,” Bangar explained the logic behind the decision making.

“We saw the wicket was low and slow and we though Thisara Perera’s batting would be handy and he can bowl wicket-to-wicket. That was the reason for his inclusion,” Bangar said while explaining further.

Now KXIP will travel back to Mohali for their home game but the home advantage hardly matters said India’s assistant coach.

“You need to play good cricket to end up on the winning side.”

May 1 (Infostrada Sports) - Scoreboard at lunch on the first day in the third and final Test between West Indies and England on Friday in Bridgetown, Barbados England 1st innings A. Cook not out 31 J. Trott c Permaul b Gabriel 0 G. Ballance b Holder 18 I. Bell c&b Holder 0 J. Root not out 19 Extras

BRIDGETOWN, May 1 (Reuters) - West Indies made inroads into England's top order in the first session of play in the third test on Friday, with the tourists going in for lunch at 71 for three after winning the toss and choosing to bat.

May 1 (Infostrada Sports) - Line-ups for the third and final Test between West Indies and England on Friday in Bridgetown, Barbados England won toss and decided to bat West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite, Shai Hope, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jermaine Blackwood, Denesh Ramdin (capt), Jason Holder, Jerome Taylor, Shannon Gabriel, Veerasammy Permaul England: Alastair Cook (capt), Jonathan Trott, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Chr

Zaheer removed Sehwag off the second ball and Vohra in his very next over as he finished with figures of 2/17 from four overs. (Source: BCCI)

Zaheer Khan made an impressive comeback from a year-long hiatus complementing Nathan Coulter-Nile brilliantly as Delhi Daredevils spanked Kings XI Punjab by 9 wickets in an Indian Premier League cricket tournament match, in New Delhi on Friday.

Chasing a paltry target of 119, Daredevils romped home with 6.1 overs to spare as openers Mayank Agarwal (52 not out) and Shreyas Iyer (54) put on a comfortable 106-run partnership for the first wicket to seal the issue in style.

The home team could not have asked for a better performance from their bowlers in their last home match as they restricted Punjab to 118 for eight after winning the toss.

Coming into bowl in a competitive match after 363 days, Zaheer removed Virender Sehwag (1) off the second ball and Manan Vohra (1) in his very next over as he finished with figures of 2/17 from four overs.

After Zaheer blew the top two away, Coulter-Nile caused a lot of damage in the middle and lower order with figures of 4/20 in four overs as it deservingly earned him man-of-the match award.

There was not much KXIP could have done after putting on board such a total and Delhi easily crossed the finishing line without much fuss.

Needing under six runs an over, Iyer and Agarwal went abut their business calmly. Iyer’s 54 came off 40 balls with four fours and three sixes while Agarwal’s faced 40 balls in his knock and hit six fours and six.

Delhi now have eight points and they moved up to number four, replacing Royal Challengers Bangalore (7) while Punjab remained at the bottom with 4 points.

The Kotla pitch had good bounce to assist the bowlers even as there were no demons in it and largely Punjab batsmen were responsible for team’s misery as they did not apply themselves well.

KXIP can thank David Miller (42) and Axar Patel (22) as their 57-run partnership for seventh wicket helped them cross the 100-run mark as they were tottering at 45 for six at halfway stage.

Apart from the duo, only skipper George Bailey (18) reached the double-digit mark before being trapped by Amit Mishra.

Miller’s 42-run knock five boundaries, including a six.

In all Punjab batsmen hit only 12 boundaries of which three were maximums.

Their start to the innings was disastrous but the ended the innings with Anureet Singh whacking Imran Tahir for a long-on six.

Earlier, it was just the kind of start Delhi needed after winning the toss. Comeback-paceman Zaheer struck twice in his three-over spell. In his very second ball in this IPL edition, he sent back Virender Sehwag (1), who edged one to point fielder and then the left-arm paceman returned to dismiss Manan Vohra (1) in the last ball of his second over.

In between skipper J P Duminy had in-form Shaun Marsh (5) trapped leg before with his first delivery. More mayhem followed as Coulter-Nile had Wriddhiman Saha (3) edging one to the slips.

Punjab slumped to 10 for four in 3.3 overs and skipper George Bailey joined David Miller at the crease.

Bailey too departed soon, leaving Miller with a daunting task to lead the recovery. Under the conditions, the South African left-hander did his best and was well supported by Axar. Had it not been their fighting stand, Punjab could have been in more miserable position.

BRIDGETOWN, May 1 (Reuters) - England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to bat in the third and final test against West Indies in Barbados.