Gambhir blames batting failure for KKR's loss

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir on Sunday blamed batting failure for his side's 22-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals in an IPL match here and said they did not deserve to win the tie.

"We lost three quick wickets and thereafter we could not recover. It was a good job by the bowlers (to restrict RR to 164) but with this kind of batting we don't deserve to win," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.

"It was a good wicket to bat on. Jaipur wicket has always been good for batting. It was not like that we could not adjust to the pace of the wicket. We have played a lot of cricket and know how to adjust to the conditions," he said.

Asked what would motivate his side after the back-to-back defeats, Gambhir said, "We are all experienced cricketers and motivate ourselves. It is just matter of time and one victory which can put us back on track.

"Two back-to-back defeats cannot lead to pressing panic button for us and still we have to play 14 matches. So two defeats don't matter much," he added.

Asked if Bangladeshi player Sakib-ul-Hassan should have been played on this wicket, Gambhir said that he would not talk about individual players.

"It is team game and we select the best team according to the need of the hour and such talks are good only on the hindsight. Perhaps losing three wickets in first two overs did us in and it was a dream start for the Rajasthan Royals."