Winning the first match of the second phase of IPL III would spur the team to continue the trend, felt the Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Sourav Ganguly after the match. His own contribution with the bat in the big total posted by the home side against holder Deccan Chargers was also satisfying, revealed a relieved Ganguly, who was under pressure for his mediocre showing in the previous few matches.
“Good to get a win here. We have got some more matches left and need to win them,” the KKR captain tried to be emphatic on being more consistent in the upcoming matches. While commenting on his own innings, Ganguly checked his ecstasy. “I got runs and the team won, that's most important,” he said. When asked to rate his innings he said it could be ranked among the few good ones he had in the previous two seasons. “IPL is a different format. It's not always possible to get big scores, a 30 or 35 can also be of importance as David Hussey showed,” Ganguly said.
Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist said the control and variety of the home side's bowling together with the big innings from Ganguly ended his team's chances.
Praise for Kartik
He picked up KKR spinner Murali Kartik for praise saying, “he's very skilful, very experienced and has been doing a wonderful job.” Gilchirst said it was an all-round package that won the game for KKR. The Chargers' captain said that the target set by the host was too good. “It was a big total. Anything above nine an over is difficult. We started well but sadly could not sustain the momentum,” he said.
