Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane specially acknowledged veteran spinner Sunil Narine for his efforts to turn around the match against Delhi Capitals in their IPL contest on Tuesday. Chasing a hefty target of 205, Delhi was looking good, but Narine made all the difference as he struck twice in succession during the 14th over, disposing of the dangerous Axar Patel and hard-hitting Tristan Stubbs.
That was the point where I felt for us Sunil came around with the wickets-the turning point for us, Rahane stated after the match. He has been a great bowler for this team, and he is a match-winner. It is reassuring to have him and Varun (Chakaravarthy) in the squad.
Narine, the Player of the Match with 3 for 29 was all praise for himself, recalling he still trusts his abilities despite any odds against him. He had previously bowled 2.1 overs for 0-25 but then wrecked havoc. I always feel I can come back and do my bit for the team. Some days are just harder than others; you might start well or then run into problems. That’s cricket, he said.
Delhi’s captain Axar Patel lamented that they let too many go during the powerplay. We bowled that over, and I think we gave away 15-20 runs more than we should have. There were mistakes in our batting too, and soft dismissals. But then we picked up quite well post the powerplay. With a couple of guys putting their hands up, we fought, but unfortunately lost. Having to keep your cool under pressure is quite important in close matches like this one.”
Axar was forced to go off the ground at the time of KKR’s innings after hurting his left hand. Actually, my hand just grazed the skin, followed by the scraping of the skin, and it hurts while trying to bat. Thank God, three or four days are left for the match against SRH, so probably, I might heal by then.
