"We don't need to panic," said Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane after their heavy loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL opener, firmly backing their explosive middle-order despite its failure to deliver. The defending champions, under new skipper Rahane, were scoring at over 10 runs per over at the halfway mark when RCB turned the tide in their favour. A match-turning spell from left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya restricted KKR to a below-par 174/8, a target RCB chased down with 22 balls to spare at Eden Gardens on Saturday.
“This is our first game of the season and the batting line-up or the team which we have, we have guys who like to go after the ball. I don't want to pinpoint on certain things. As a team, I thought, in a few areas we did really well. There're always areas we can improve as a team, as an individual,” Rahane said at the post-match media interaction.
Backing his middle-order batters despite their struggles, Rahane said, “Because guys who got out in the middle overs, they actually did well for us, for this franchise in the past. So, I'm going to back them. They tried to play their game tonight. It didn't work out, but it's okay.” Calling their middle-order “experienced, dangerous, and explosive,” Rahane said: “They have handled many situations like this. It's always about giving them that freedom and allowing them to go out there and play their game.
"If that works out, it looks really good. If that didn't work out today, it's okay. It's going to happen. This is a long tournament. As a team, we back each and every individual and that is the goal.” One major talking point was Rinku Singh's lower down the order at number 6 as KKR opted for Impact sub Angkrish Raghuvanshi ahead of him.
"Rinku has been batting really well for KKR and also for the Indian team. Especially in this shorter format, he has been doing really well. The talks, as you mentioned, sending Rinku up the order. Yes, we are thinking about it.
"But sometimes you have to play with certain situations. And you have to see who is actually better in that particular situation. We thought Angkrish was the better option because we had around 10-11 overs when Angkrish went in. But we will see him bat up the order.” KKR's pace-bowling also looked thin without Anrich Nortje (back injury) as the South African recruit is still not 100 per cent fit. In his absence Spencer Johnson leaked at 13-plus runs per over, while Vaibhav Arora (14.00) and Harshit Rana (10.66) were also expensive.
"We don't need to panic or we don't need to think too much. It's a tough sport for fast bowlers, especially for the bowlers. They are trying hard. They are working hard. And for me, it's always about controlling the control levels.
"Again, guys who are sitting on the bench, they are equally good. But we have to actually see the combination, what combination we can go with.” “See, Spencer has been doing really well. I know he bowled earlier. Whatever we have seen or whatever I have heard, he's been doing really well. Just one of those days," said Rahane.
Andre Russel did not bowl but Rahane said there's no fitness concern regarding him.
"He is absolutely fit. You are not going to use all the weapons in one game. We have five frontline bowlers. They are wicket takers," Rahane said.
The home team skipper was also let down by the conditions as the pitch didn't assist their star spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy.
“We would love to see that, you know. It's helping our spin bowlers. But again, this wicket was undercover, for one and a half days...
"(Josh) Hazlewood used the condition really well. We would love to see some spin on this wicket. But again, no complaints. Both the spinners which we have, their quality, they can bowl on any kind of wicket," he added.
Feeling freshest in a long time: Hazlewood
After enduring a challenging period marred by injuries, Australian premier pacer Josh Hazlewood marked his return to competitive cricket in style, delivering a tight 2/22 to play a key role in their dominant win.
The 34-year-old, who could play just two Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to a calf injury and side strain, also missed Australia's Test series against Sri Lanka. However, he is now back in the IPL after missing last year's edition for the birth of his first child.
“Yeah, I feel pretty good. I feel like I got through the game very well. You know, it helps only having to bowl four overs,” Hazlewood said after the match.
Acknowledging the high-intensity nature of the IPL, Hazlewood said that the limited workload suits him as he works towards regaining full match rhythm.
“I know the intensity is through the roof, but to only bowl four overs is good for me at the moment. But yeah, I feel like I'll just keep building throughout the tournament. And I think this is probably the freshest I've been in a long time.” “I haven't played since I think it was late December, mid-December. So, the body is feeling fresh. I've done a lot of work off the field to get back to this point, which was tough.
“But yeah, I think mentally and physically I'm refreshed. So, hopefully that holds me in good stead, not only for the next few months, but moving forward after that. So, yeah, things are good,” he added.
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