“Nothing to express. We all saw what happened there.” Ajinkya Rahane’s words, laden with a captain’s burden, echoed the disbelief felt by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team.
Chasing 112 for a win, KKR were comfortably placed at 71 for 3 in 9.1 overs, but they suffered a sensational collapse to be bowled out for 95 in 15.1 overs.
In a match where victory seemed assured, KKR succumbed to an inexplicable collapse, gifting Punjab Kings a historic win. Rahane, ever the stoic leader, shouldered the blame. “I will take the blame as the captain of the team. I played the wrong shot, it was missing but still I will take the blame.”
“Angkrish Raghuvanshi was not pretty sure, he said probably it could be umpire’s call. I wasn’t sure as well and that was the discussion.”
KKR captain Rahane held the innings together for a while along with Raghuvanshi, digging into his vast domestic and international experience.
Rahane was at his best when he lofted a Bartlett half-volley for a straight six into the sightscreen, taking his side to 55 for 2 at the end of powerplay.
“Till when I was batting there, we were thinking about 2 points. Wicket was not that easy, 111 was still chaseable. We batted really badly. The bowlers did really well on the surface to restrict a strong Punjab batting line-up for 111,” he said.
KKR lost seven wickets and scored just 24 runs in six overs after that.
“As an individual you need to be confident. When we were batting, sweep was very hard to play. Let the ball come and then take your chances. Play cricketing shots and keep that intent going. We were a bit reckless and we need to take full responsibility as a batting unit,” said Rahane.
“Too many things going in my head. It’s too early. It was an easy chase for us. When I go upstairs I will try to keep myself really calm and then I will see what to talk to the boys. Half of the tournament is still remaining. We need to be positive and play good brand of cricket. At the same time I would like to address the stuff and move forward.”
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