‘Man-of-the-match’ Nitish Rana’s calculated performance against Rajasthan Royals (RR) highlighted Kolkata Knight Rider’s (KKR) approach to the game — play to your potential and don’t leave the job for others to finish.
Lauds Rana
For Robin Uthappa, Rana is a player worth investing in. “Nitish is someone who has a very firm head on his shoulders. He reads the game very well and is very confident. If he keeps performing as well as he has in the last couple of seasons, he gives himself a good chance to grow as a cricketer,” Uthappa said after KKR’s win on Wednesday.
When pointed out that teams in this IPL have opted to chase, Uthappa explained, “When you look at it, the game is actually changing and has become so dynamic. Anything seems chaseable. We’ve gone only 15-16 games in the tournament and already about 215 sixes have been hit. I think it’s shifting to a power game. Hence, I believe that chasing is the choice of captains. A paradigm shift is happening.”
Uthappa also praised Dinesh Karthik’s leadership qualities. “He is someone who thinks a lot, likes a lot of information. At the same time, he leaves enough room for his instinct as a captain to be proactive and make decisions which is wonderful.”
Rahane accepts the blame
RR captain Ajinkya Rahane showed the spirit to own up the defeat. “It (the pitch) was slow and kept slightly low, but no excuses. We are all professional cricketers. We know how to play on these kinds of wickets. I think it was my responsibility to take the innings forward because I was batting really well. If I had batted till 14-15 over, the score would have been different.”
Rahane accepted there was intense analysis of performances these days. “It’s always been there. Teams will analyse opponents. But in the end it is all about going out there and playing your game rather than just focussing on your competitor and analysing.
“You have to be practical. You have to go out there and give your best. Back your strengths. We have been practising in this format and we’ve been playing really well. It’s all about applying your mind there and backing your instinct. T20 is all about backing your instinct.”
