All-rounder Samit Patel says he has total confidence in his new Derbyshire team-mates and is equally confident he can bring the best out of them.
The 39-year-old will captain the one-day side this season and can play in all formats after joining from Notts.
“I’m excited by the challenge. It’s going to be weird after 22 years but change is good,” Patel told BBC Radio Derby.
“We have real quality. I want to make a huge difference on and off the field.”
The new county season gets under way on Friday, with Derbyshire hosting Gloucestershire in Division Two. And Patel said he is thrilled by the blend of youth and experience at the club and says he can help bring a winning mentality and belief to the team.
Among the new faces are New Zealand fast bowler Blair Tickner and wicketkeeper-batter Aneurin Donald, while long-serving batter Wayne Madsen has signed a new two-year contract that will extend his time at the county to 16 full seasons.
Former Glamorgan skipper David Lloyd will captain the four-day team, with Patel in charge for the one-day and T20 campaigns.
Patel, who played 629 games, scored 20,937 runs and took 713 wickets for Notts, said Derbyshire head of cricket Micky Arthur had made some “very clever signings”.
“We have bought in a lot of winning experience,” Patel added. “We are looking to try to take some guys with us on the train and play an exciting brand of cricket that will attract crowds. We want to play attacking, aggressive cricket.
“The big thing for me is to come and make a real difference – especially for the T20 team. We have a good squad and I’d encourage people to come and watch us.”
Patel, who won two County Championship titles, two one-day trophies and was also a two-time T20 champion while at Trent Bridge, insists his enthusiasm remains as strong as ever.
He is likely to make his Derbyshire debut on 30 May when the domestic T20 competition gets under way, although he has not completely disregarded the possibility of a County Championship appearance before that.
His last first-class appearance was in September 2020.
“I’m really excited for that first T20 game away at Northants and put a bit of a statement down to everyone in that league,” Patel said.
“Four-day cricket is draining. It depends selection and pitches. If my body and mental state is ready to play again I would probably consider it, but that’s a conversation to have down the line.”
