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Jayawardene focuses on home games to bounce back

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Press Trust of India Bangalore
Delhi Daredevils might have slumped to five successive defeats but skipper Mahela Jayawardene is confidence of his team getting into the knockout stage of IPL-6 by winning all their home games.

"We will give ourselves a chance to get into the 'Final Four' if we can win the home games. That is something we really have to focus on," he told reporters at post-match press conference here.

Royal Challengers Bangalore pulled off a nail-biting victory over Delhi Daredevils via the Super Over in a thrilling Pepsi Indian Premier League match here last night.

But Virender Sehwag did not come out to bat in the crucial Super Over and Jayawardene clarified that the Delhi batsman was not on the field for last three overs and hence he wasn't eligible to bat in the Super Over.
 

"If I had that option I would have fancied sending Sehwag, but that option wasn't there for me," he said.

Jayawardene said that the Daredevils needed to develop a positive frame of mind.

"We just need to get a few results going our way. We probably tend to make negative decisions. So those are things we need to somehow get rid of from our minds and be very positive. It is important that we go with a positive frame of mind because we got a very good team. The talent is there, the ability is there," insisted the captain.

The former Sri Lankan skipper praised his teammates for fighting back and keeping the team in the game till the end.

"Until 16th over the game was over for us, but with a couple of wickets we could manage to put some pressure on their tailenders. We did not take some good decisions during that period and that is how the game goes," he said.

"We probably were 10-20 runs short. Yes we had a good game but no points," Jayawardene added.

Indian pacer Umesh Yadav bowled the first four balls of the Super Over brilliantly, but gave away two sixes in the last two balls.

"These are the mistakes we have been repeating in last four to five games in crucial situations. We are not being clinical enough in executing," said Jayawardene.

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First Published: Apr 17 2013 | 9:55 AM IST

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