Rajasthan Royals were effectively restricted by KKR bowlers, says Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane has credited KKR bowlers for their brilliant spell that successfully restricted RR batsmen in an easy run-chase. He also justified his on-field decisions during the game of choosing Heinrich Klaasen and Jaydev Unadkat over Krishnappa Gowtham in batting and bowling respectively.
Rajasthan Royals bid adieu to the IPL 2018 after losing to Kolkata Knight Riders by 25 runs in the Eliminator at Eden Gardens on Wednesday. KKR had scored 169 in their innings and Rajasthan were playing at a steady pace for about 10 overs of the innings. Rajasthan were 109 for 1 at the end of 14 overs, with a reachable target of 67 from 42 balls. However, they could manage just 41 runs by the last ball which sealed the game in KKR's
RR captain, Rahane, later revealed that the team had planned to take the game till the very end before finishing it off, but Kolkata bowlers' brilliant spell restricted them.
“After the second time-out, we needed 60-odd runs from seven overs,” Rahane said after the game. “When you have eight or nine wickets in hand, you generally end up getting those runs. Our plan was to go deep when Sanju Samson and I were batting. After the second time-out, I just told him I would play some positive shots and if you are still there, you just try and bat deep. Credit goes to KKR bowlers, especially the way they bowled in last four-five overs. If you see in the last 36 balls, we got 30-odd runs. When opponents bowl like that, I think credit goes to them,” said Rahane, reported Wisden India.
Kuldeep Yadav took Rahane’s wicket in the 15 over, following which Heinrich Klaasen came in at No.4 but the wicketkeeper-batsman struggled to connect and barely survived till the end, scoring just 18 runs. While many thought Rahane got it wrong by sending Klaasen ahead of Gowtham, he defended this move.
“I think if you see Klaasen is a very good batsman. He did really well in the last game. It’s difficult when you don’t get those runs. You start thinking what if you had sent Gowtham at that number. But we backed Klaasen. He tried his best but again, as I mentioned, KKR bowlers, especially the spinners, were really good. With our batting line-up, we wanted to go deep when Sanju and I were batting and to see if Klaasen could come when there were seven or eight overs left. That was a perfect opportunity for him but unfortunately, we didn’t cross the line. But I don’t think the strategy was wrong there. KG’s (Gowtham) batting position, he batted well at No. 6 or No. 7. So credit goes to again KKR bowlers.”
Rahane had seemingly fumbled with the ball as well by not continuing with K Gowtham, who had picked 2 for 15 in his first three overs. Unadkat's spell in the 17th over pretty much brought back KKR their momentum as he was hit for 19 runs and a free-
“He (Gowtham) bowled really well but after six (overs), two right-handers were there,” he reasoned. “So what’s the best chance you have to get that wicket? I felt Jaydev is a very good bowler. Yes, he went for runs tonight but he did really well for us throughout the season. He got those crucial wickets in the middle overs. You got to back your bowlers and I felt at that time Jaydev was the best guy to go rather than KG. But credit goes to Andre Russell, the way he batted and played fearless cricket.”
RR's decision to opt for bowling was also tricky as chasing has always been hard in pressure games but Rahane stated that the Eden Gardens pitch looked good for a chase and his side could have easily done that had they not spoiled the partnerships.
“Before the toss, I felt the wicket had some moisture. It was slightly damp. That was the reason we bowled first. We started off really well. When they lost four-five wickets early, we thought 150 on this wicket would be very good. Yes, Andre Russell batted really well but again 169 was
“We needed those partnerships and we got those partnerships. Initially with Tripathi and then with Sanju Samson but we needed one batsman to bat throughout those 19-20 overs. We didn’t do that. Unfortunately, Sanju got out in 16th or 17th over. That was the reason I felt because when you are chasing 169 in a pressure game, you want your one batsman from top four to bat throughout the innings.”