Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull has come in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s favour amid criticism of his strike rate. Doull took a dig at his critics who are demanding that he should be dropped from the side. He pointed at his record in the last few seasons and how he has a better record than that of fiery Indian top-order batters – Mumbai Indians’ (MI) Rohit Sharma and Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) stand-in captain Ishan Kishan.
“His numbers in the last four years have not been that bad. He averages 30 and strikes at 148 over 30-odd games. People are talking about dropping him. It’s a better record than what Rohit has got in the last four years," Doull said on Cricbuzz.
"It’s an equal record to Ishan Kishan in the last four years. You are not talking about dropping any of those blokes. Hence his frustration. But it comes down to the pressure from a captaincy point of view,” he added.
The cricketer-turned-commentator understands where Rahane’s frustration comes from. Doull feels that Rahane does not have enough resources at his disposal and a few key players are out of form as well.
“The criticism came with them finishing eighth last year and having a bad start this year. He is frustrated because they don’t have the tools in the toolbox. They are not doing their job and are not playing well as a group. It’s not all his fault,” said Doull.
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Here's what Rahane said in press conference
Rahane's strike rate came under scrutiny after his 40-ball 67 in a game where KKR's score of 220/4 wasn't enough to stop MI from winning with five balls to spare. However, he was asked about it after the loss to SRH where he was dismissed for eight runs from 10 balls.
“The people who’re talking about me, probably (they’re) not watching the matches, or they’ve certain other targets, they don’t like me playing. The amount of success I got, I guess, they’re jealous of me. I’m happy they’re talking about me, negative or positive,” the 37-year-old had said.
KKR get one point
Amidst all troubles, KKR got off the mark with a point as their match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at home was abandoned due to rain. KKR will now go up against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at home on April 9.