IPL 2018 | KKR simply does not know when to give up, and I trust they never will, says Jacques Kallis

IPL 2018 | KKR simply does not know when to give up, and I trust they never will, says Jacques Kallis

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Jacques Kallis has expressed his happiness about the team’s undying spirit and insisted that Kolkata Knight Riders does not know when to give up and would never learn that as well. KKR defeated Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator to set up a clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second Qualifier.

Kolkata Knight Riders have defied every odd throughout this edition of IPL 2018 and have managed to book their birth in the second Qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the Eliminator game against Rajasthan Royals, KKR posted a total of 169 on the board and then, bowled exceedingly well to limit the Royals to 144 for 4, eventually winning the match by 25 runs. Kallis stated that he was glad the way his team fought back after being 24 for 3 early in the innings. KKR coach Jacques Kallis appreciated their never give up attitude throughout the tournament and praised their performance against the Royals.

“Once again the most pleasing aspect of Wednesday’s victory against Rajasthan was the way we fought when it looked like we were in trouble, whether it was being 24 for three or when they reached 100 for one. This team simply does not know when to give up, and I trust they never will,” Kallis wrote in his column for TOI.  

With the win against RR, KKR would be going into Qualifier 2 with a streak of winning 4 matches in a row. Kallis showered praise on skipper Dinesh Karthik, who scored 52 off 38 balls, for his brilliance in the middle order for the team. He opined that Shubman Gill, who despite being of just 18, has shown lots of maturity and class in the opportunities that he has got. He also appreciated Andre Russell, who scored unbeaten 49 off 25 balls, and felt that his innings helped KKR have an advantage on a difficult-to-bat track. 

“DK (Dinesh Karthik) has been superb in controlling the middle order and the middle overs throughout the tournament and, once again, Shubman Gill showed that he is a class player with the valuable ability to read the match situation and play accordingly. Normally we put that down to experience but he’s only 18,” Kallis added.

“Russ (Russell) showed how dangerous he can be and, although some people may still have thought we were a few runs light, when he was doing his thing in the last four overs I always thought he was putting us not just back on course but slightly ahead of the game. It was a tough wicket to bat on but he is a remarkable cricketer.” 

Riding of Sanju Samson’s half-century, Royals were going strong at 109 for 2. Samson and Ajinkya Rahane looked to have things under their control. However, as soon as the skipper departed, no one else was able to hang around on the wicket and the wheels of Rajasthan’s chase came off. 

“Despite the Royals making a really good start and laying a strong platform, we bowled well enough to stay in the game and the run rate never dropped low enough for them to take control. It was a hard surface to score quickly on and that’s why the Royals weren’t able to accelerate when they needed to,” Kallis pointed out.

“When we took a wicket we pounced, turning the screws on the new batsman and giving him nothing. A couple of dot balls and singles at the start of a batsman’s innings can put him under huge pressure almost immediately and suddenly the asking rate is more than ten an over and climbing,”

The crucial Qualifier 2 clash between KKR and SRH would take place on Friday evening and the winner would meet Chennai Super Kings in the final on Sunday.

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