Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane gave credit to the bowling unit after a comprehensive seven-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Sunday. KKR were able to skittle out the home team at a paltry score of 165 as the Orange Army kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
KKR spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine did the bulk of the damage as they were right on the money. While Chakvarthy returned with match-winning figures of 3-36 in his quota four overs, Narine bagged 2-31 in his spell. Furthermore, young Kartik Tyagi also returned with impressive figures of 2-30 in his four overs.
Ajinkya Rahane said in the post-match presentation, “Very good game. The way we came back with the ball. Looked like they will get 190-200. It was a good wicket to bat on. 190-200 would’ve been challenging to chase. But credit to our bowling unit, especially the spinners. They kept taking wickets. Those small moments are really important, really happy with the win. The bowling unit has been doing really well last 5-6 games.”
He added, “Credit to our bowling coaches – Bravo and Southee. During practice sessions, lot of talking, lot of planning, different oppositions, different grounds. It’s all about planning and executing. Here and there you will go for runs, but as long as you’re clear in your head, that’s important.”
Rahane, who scored a decent knock of 43 runs off 36 balls in the run chase of 166, praised Varun Chakravarthy for his fine spell. Chakravarthy accounted for Travis Head, Smaran Ravichandran, and Aniket Verma.
Rahane concluded, “He was struggling before the tournament and even going into the tournament – first couple of games. The way he came back was amazing. He was always confident. Works really hard, great attitude. You want players like him to do something for the team in tough situations. He’s been bowling the tough overs. I’m sure he will continue his performance.”
Kolkata Knight Riders will next take on Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Friday.
