Victory depends on how well we execute on match day, says Jacques Kallis

The Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata Knight Riders have had a rough season this year and have been on and off with their performances. After losing consecutive matches to Mumbai Indians, they sprung back to action with the highest run-count, in an away match, of 245/6 against Kings XI Punjab. Kallis still believes that there is hope for them and added that getting through the next two games for the playoffs is all that the team is interested in as the upcoming matches will be crucial in deciding KKR’s fate.

“Destiny is still in our hands. If we play two good games of cricket, we are through to the playoffs and that's what we are interested in. It's about taking one game at a time and play well tomorrow," Kallis told reporters on the eve of their match against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens. Rajasthan Royals have won three consecutive games and have the same points as KKR (12), which really sets the competition for both teams.

"We are not really worried about what the rest of the teams are doing. Both teams are coming to confidence, so it's going to boil down who executes better on the day. It's pretty even when it comes to how the teams are coming into this game," he added.

Jos Buttler has made his statement with five half centuries in a row that boosted RR’s campaign but Kallis says they have a plan to be set in motion for the opposing batting attack.

“He (Jos Buttler) certainly has been consistent and in good form. So we obviously have to make sure we have some good plans against him and the rest of the batters as well. Hopefully they will work for us to win the game,” Kallis explained.

Kallis also made a praising note on the KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik, who has been consistent with the bat.

"He likes leading from the front, he leads with a lot of energy. He obviously has got lot of experience and understands the game pretty well. It's been a fairly smooth transition. Hopefully we can come up with good game plan tomorrow which leads us to victory," he concluded.