On-song Duminy ready to make it count

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After two fruitful seasons with the Mumbai Indians, talented South African all-rounder Jean-Paul Duminy became one of the more high-profile acquisitions for 2009 IPL Champions, the Deccan Chargers, last year during the players’ auction.

Duminy — the architect of many South Africa wins had a relatively quiet season last year in the IPL, he didn’t fire in both departments but he reckons he is in good form, having scored a Test hundred against New Zealand recently, and is ready to make an impact this season.

“I feel I’m in good form, thanks to the Test century. However, the weather here is in complete contrast to New Zealand. I am getting tired too quickly here. I just need to get accustomed to the conditions,” he said.

Back in India for the IPL for a fourth straight season seems to sit well on Duminy, as he picked up a smattering of Hindi. “It is always good to return to India,” Duminy said with a chuckle.

“I learnt a few basic words, like shukriya and paani. My wife actually bought a couple of CDs to learn the language. My family will be joining in two weeks and hopefully, I’ll get better at it,” he added with a grin.

Talking about Deccan Chargers, which wears a new look this year, Duminy said it’s always interesting to have fresh blood.

“There are a few new faces in the team. I met them all when we watched the opening match together. It was fun getting to know them,” Duminy said.

He said his second Test century would help him put up a better show this season. “T20 is not all about hitting big sixes. It’s also about gauging the situation and playing accordingly, and I think I’m up to the task. Obviously, the power game will play a major role and hopefully it’ll work.”

The Deccan Chargers take on defending Champions Chennai Super Kings in their first match of the season on Saturday at the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium.