Purely from a statistical point of view, Monday’s fixture in the Oppo Champions League Twenty20 will pit a team unbeaten so far against a side that hasn’t won a single match until now.
Logically, that should leave Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with a cakewalk against the Dolphins at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium.
KKR assistant coach Vijay Dahiya, on the eve of the contest, wasn’t willing to see it that way. “Every day is a new day. We don’t want to make a mistake by even thinking it’s going to be a cakewalk. We are playing good cricket but we have to respect the opposition,” he said.
“It’s a T20 game. You cannot take anyone lightly, ever, even if you are in a strong position while the game is on,” Dahiya stressed. To underscore the point, the former India wicket-keeper said there would be no experiments.
“You pick up your 15 and all 15 are good enough to play on a given day. But I don’t see any experiments at all.”
Pressure seemed alien to KKR’s mindset. On whether winning a dozen matches on the trot affected them, the former coach who ended Delhi’s 16-year title drought, said, “Honestly nobody thinks of this. The atmosphere in the dressing room is about playing good cricket. We always say when we play good cricket, the result will take care of itself.
“The good thing is this team is not dependent on a particular individual. The way we started and where we are today, this is very important. Honestly, nobody is thinking we have won 12 in a row. It’s a fantastic feeling. There’s no doubt about it. After we had won 10, nobody had said we have to win 11.
“If we keep getting results, we feel good about it. There’s no pressure that we have to win one more to have a record sort of a thing. There’s no thought of that kind to put extra pressure on us.”
