Finally, there is news that would put smiles on the faces of Delhi Capitals fans, after their despondent loss against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021 on Thursday. The franchise confirmed that Anrich Nortje is free to start training with the squad after testing negative for coronavirus.
He's here 💙
Our 🇿🇦 pace superstar is now out of quarantine. After a false positive result for COVID-19, Anrich Nortje tested negative thrice, and is now part of our team bubble.
We can't wait to see him in action 🔥#YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021 @AnrichNortje02 @TajMahalMumbai pic.twitter.com/8dGh2GlniK
— Delhi Capitals (Stay Home. Wear Double Masks😷) (@DelhiCapitals) April 16, 2021
The news comes two days after reports suggested Nortje testing positive during quarantine. Â However, DC has confirmed that Nortje had a false positive and has now tested negative three times.
Talking about his return to the bubble as well as training Nortje said that it was nice to see everyone at breakfast and that he is happy to finally step out of his room and resume training.
The Delhi-based franchise will be happy to have Nortje back on board, given that with no home advantage this year, world-class bowlers like Kagiso Rabada and Nortje will have to step in and bring the title home. He had an important role in taking Delhi to the IPL 2020 final last year.
Anrich Nortje ended IPL 2020 with 22 wickets in 16 games. The South African pace duo ended up sharing 52 wickets throughout the tournament. Nortje was brought in as a last-minute replacement for Chris Woakes by Delhi Capitals. The Delhi-based franchise eventually decided to retain both players for IPL 2021.
Delhi is a team of bold young players like Shaw, Pant with the right mix of experience that comes from players like R.Ashwin, Steve Smith. There is added pressure on the bowling since Axar Patel is out because of Covid while Ishant Sharma is suffering from a heel niggle. Apart from that DC Coach Ricky Ponting is also a bit let down with the lack of execution in the death overs. Nortje’s return will strengthen the bowling unit as he was in good form for South Africa during the recent ODI series against Pakistan.