Fraser-McGurk praises Axar Patel's leadership ahead of DC vs RCB clash

After two consecutive away matches, Delhi Capitals return home and are all set to take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their ninth match of IPL 2025 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. Having defeated in their previous meeting, the Delhi Capitals will aim to complete a double over the Royal Challengers Bangalore this season.

Speaking on the eve of the match, Delhi Capitals' opener Jake Fraser-McGurk, who has been working hard to bounce back in form, said, as quoted by the Delhi Capitals press release, "I'd love to have some more runs next to my name, but that's the way cricket is sometimes. You go through highs and lows, and I think the IPL have seen it all in both years for me personally. You saw last year, and now you're seeing this year. I think the most important thing is to stay level through the whole thing, no matter if you're going well or not going so well."

He further added, "My role as a batter is to get the team off to a nice start, but it doesn't mean I have to try and hit every ball for six. I'm working really hard through myself, my coaches and everyone around me, so it's about how I can get back into that team and succeed."

Speaking about playing under Axar Patel's captaincy, Fraser-McGurk said, "Axar is just one of those players that leads everyone, and everyone follows him. He's an amazing talent, and the way he plays just makes everyone really proud to be at Delhi Capitals. He remains calm and relaxed at all times. We love playing under Axar, and we think he's one of the best players in our team that we can follow, and he can be a leader."

"He always says keep smiling to everyone, not just me. He's one of those guys who is so relaxed in all these situations. It feels like you're talking to one of your best friends instead of the captain. So he's been awesome," the 23-year-old added.

Delhi Capitals have won and lost one match each at the Arun Jaitley Stadium thus far, the Aussie batter highlighted, "I think the wicket is different to what it was last year. Last year, it was really flat and nice and didn't really bounce that much. This year it's a little bit harder to get used to, and it might take some more time for batters to be able to get into their innings. Spin bowlers here have succeeded a bit more than the pace bowlers this year, and we've had some of those slow wickets this year as well, from Vizag to Chennai. I think our team is well-suited for that. Hopefully, we can continue our good record here, and as a home ground, we can win more."

Speaking about experience playing under Head Coach Hemang Badani, Fraser-McGurk said, "I've worked under Hemang at Dubai Capitals as well, it's nothing new. He's an awesome coach and the coaching staff around him and even players, I go to them and speak to them a lot."