Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were humbled at home by an in-form Gujarat Titans (GT) as they lost the match by 39 runs at their homeground Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Chasing a target of 199, KKR faltered in the run chase. Venkatesh Iyer could not get going and the required run rate climbed up too high for finishers to keep KKR in the game. KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo believes that the batters lack confidence. He lauded the bowlers for restricting GT under 200.
"I think the bowlers, first of all, did a fantastic job restricting them under 200," Bravo said in the post-match press conference. "Shubhman Gill and Sai batted very well, but credit to our bowling group, they really brought it back and gave us a chance at the halfway stage. I think we were the happier team.
"Unfortunately, we didn't get the start we wanted in the powerplay. And then, they slowed us down through the middle and obviously we faulted in the end."
Andre Russell has been facing criticism as he managed to score just 55 runs from six innings. The 21-run knock in vain against GT is his best this season. He has backed Russell and pointed out that he is not the only one struggling in the team.
"Russell is an experienced player. He's a successful player. Just a couple of games the leg spinners have got him out. But I don't think we actually had the team batting properly. So that is the reality. Russell is not the only one who is struggling at the moment. But as a group, we have to make sure that the players keep putting in their work and practise, keep preparing well, try to keep them mentally focused," said the former West Indies all-rounder.
"IPL is a tough tournament. And when you don't start well, batsmen go into a period where they lose confidence. And that's what's happening at the moment. We just have to keep backing them and hopefully they come good"
Bravo on Russell's struggle against leggies and message to top-orders
Two of Russell's dismissals in the season so far have been against leg-spinners but Bravo doesn't see it as a prevalent problem. He wants top-order to perform so that Russell can finish the games for KKR like he used to do.
"Not every team has leg spinners. And then today, obviously, Rashid Khan, one of the quality players. But, you know, when Russell walks into bat every time, the run rate is at 14-15. So the work needs to be done on top so that we give him a chance to finish off games like he accustomed to doing over the years for KKR. So, yeah, he has leg spinners getting him out a few times. But I don't think that is a big concern. I just figured that, we need to bat better to allow our finishers to finish cricket games," the 41-year-old said.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led side suffered their third defeat of the season at home. Bravo chose not to add fuel to the fire by criticising the pitch which hasn't favoured KKR spinners. The comprehensive loss sees KKR at seventh position on the points table. Their next clash is against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at home on April 26.