Heath Streak hints at KKR making some tactical changes
Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach Heath Streak has revealed that skipper Dinesh Karthik might make a few tactical changes in the next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He also hinted that Mitchell Johnson, who sat out of the last game due to some niggles, might make a comeback in the playing XI.
The first week of the IPL is coming to an end as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) are the only teams not to play two games. The first week has seen quite a few close games and one of them was the game between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).Ā
Put into bat first, KKR put up a massive 202 with Andre Russel scoring a blistering 36-ball 88 which included 11 sixes. CSK then managed to chase down the target as Sam Billingsā 56 and last over heroics from Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja pushed CSK over the line.Ā
With that loss, KKR
āI think you will see some tactical changes from DK (Dinesh Karthik) in the next game. It (the game against CSK in Chennai) was a tough performance. We got to learn from those mistakes and make sure we come back strongly here. We just need to put our collective bowling performance in our next game. We went in for too many runs in the Powerplay which was hard to pull back at the end,ā KKR bowling coach Heath Streak was quoted saying by TOI on the sidelines of the teamās optional practice session.Ā
Vinay Kumar was a talking point of the game as he failed to defend 17 runs in the last over. He failed to execute the plans and bowled length which was dispatched for sixes which won CSK the game. He was subject to a lot of trolls on social media, but the Karnataka pacer found the backing of his KKR bowling coach.Ā
āHe (Vinay Kumar) won't be the first or the last bowler who could not defend runs in the last over. He had his plans right but it was just the execution part where he failed. If you're bowling at 125-130kmph, you need to be more accurate with your line and length as your margin of error is less then,ā Streak said.Ā
The former Zimbabwean captain also hinted that Mitchell Johnson, who was rested due to a few niggles, might make a comeback in their next game which is on Saturday (March 14) against Sunrisers Hyderabad.Ā
āI think he would be good for the next game. We are going to have a look at him (Johnson) and our combinations. We have got some options available and will look at it. But that doesn't necessarily mean we will change. It might be more changing the combination of how we use our players,ā the former Zimbabwean skipper added.Ā