Mumbai, May 9 (IANS): Delhi Capitals' batter Rovman Powell said captain Rishabh Pant has stuck to his word on giving the big-hitting Jamaican a role that he will like in the batting order during IPL 2022.
In the ongoing tournament, Powell has been a lower-order hitter for Delhi, hitting some astonishing sixes in amassing 205 runs in eleven matches at an average of 25.63 and a high strike rate of 161.41.
"Rishabh Pant is someone we look up to in the Caribbean because he's a good player. Whenever we play against him (in international cricket), we have meetings about how to curtail his cricketing prowess and how to keep him quiet. And after I was acquired by Delhi Capitals, Rishabh told me that he is excited to have me as a part of the team and will give me a role that I would like. And he has stuck to his word," said Powell in the sixth episode of The Delhi Capitals Podcast.
Powell remarked that he feels at home with the Delhi camp in his first-ever IPL outing. "Coming all the way from the Caribbean, it was very important for me to come here and feel at home. And the Delhi Capitals have accepted me as a part of their family and I feel at home here. Being comfortable in an environment can help you put up your best performances. And I realised that everyone in the team is behind you whether you have a good day or not and that is very important."
The journey of Powell joining the Delhi side from the Caribbean to Mumbai went well, except for his baggage which was nowhere to be found. "When I landed in Mumbai, I was told that the airline doesn't have any of my bags. The only thing I had with me was my hand baggage when I left the airport. I didn't have any extra clothes with me so I spent 2-3 days in a towel in my hotel room."
Powell further explained that he is playing cricket as a means to take his family out of poverty, a pact that he had made in childhood. "I come from a small village (in Jamaica) where farming is the primary income for the majority of the families. But from my childhood days, I had a dream that I will take my family out of poverty through cricket and education."
Powell signed off by revealing that if he hadn't been a cricketer, he would have been a soldier. "Cricket has been going well, thanks to the grace of God. Before I became a professional cricketer, I was going to become a soldier. If cricket didn't work out then I would have been a soldier."
With five wins and six losses so far, Delhi will need to boost their chances of reaching the playoffs when they will be up against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday at the DY Patil Sports Academy.