Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won, and quite easily in the end. May I say, the game was won in the first seven overs of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) innings when four wickets fell for 50 runs. And that’s where the question needs to be asked? How many of these wickets did the spinners take? How much turn was there on this wicket? What was all the pitch talk about?
Each of the first four wickets were picked up by the KKR pacers. Vaibhav Arora picked up two, while Harshit Rana and Andre Russell took one each. This was much like last year.
KKR won because they played well. Not because the pitch turned. They batted well despite the two early wickets lost,and Venkatesh Iyer played a real blinder once he got his eye in. Rinku Singh too played well, and the moment you reach 200, it is expected that the opponent will come under pressure. The bowlers had a cushion of an extra 25 runs compared to the first game, and that’s what made the difference in the end.
The lesson from this match is loud and clear. Forget all the useless pitch talk and focus on the game. The curator did not give a bad wicket in game one or tonight. And the wicket was the same last year as well. KKR played well in 2024 and won 5 of 7 home games. If they play well, there’s no reason why they will not do the same this year again.
I have said this time and again. Pitches don’t win cricket matches. Players do. And if there is too much focus on the wicket, it is because the team isn’t focussed on the job at hand. The wicket was an excuse for poor play, and last night was clear evidence that you win and win handsomely if you play quality cricket.
Let’s hope this KKR effort is a signal for all teams. To stop all this talk about pitches and introspect instead on why you haven’t played well. For, the moment you start to play well, all such nonsense disappears. For now, Sujan Mukherjee, KKR’s players and management and the fans will all sleep well. No one is against the other anymore!
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