Calcutta: Explosive Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Chris Lynn, who was on Tuesday ignored for Australia's upcoming limited-overs tours of the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe due to a dodgy shoulder, admitted he is not fully fit and hence is restricted on the field while playing in the ongoing IPL XI.
"On the field, I am not fielding at the positions that I want to field in. I'm a little bit restricted there.
"But at the end of the day, if I score more runs, then I'm doing my job. Batting is my priority. I think a big score is just round the corner," Lynn told reporters at a media conference ahead of KKR's match against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday.
"I am certainly not 100 per cent fit. But I'm comfortable playing and fielding. For me, batting is not an issue at all, that's the first and foremost priority," added the 28-year-old who is known for his six-hitting prowess.
According to reports in the Australian media, Lynn, who injured his right shoulder in Australia's T20 trans-Tasman tri-series final against New Zealand in February, was deemed unfit for the rigours of both one-day and T20 International cricket.
Having turned out for KKR in all the 10 games so far, Lynn has not looked his effervescent best amassing 277 runs at 30.77.
On the field, Lynn has been instructed not to dive, given he has injured both shoulders doing so in recent years.
"I was probably a little bit nervous and apprehensive early on," Lynn said when asked about the adjustments he had to make post the injury. "Of late, I can bat with the freedom that I want to. I've showed that in the last couple of innings in small glimpses. But it would be nice to face 30-40 balls. I'm hoping that the luck of the bounce goes my way this game and I can build that momentum into the important part of the tournament," he elaborated.
Coming to the Mumbai Indians game on Wednesday, KKR, placed fourth in the points table with 10 points from 10 games, cannot afford to lose with four games remaining. Mumbai Indians have won two back-to-back matches for the first time this season and in the head-to-head record, have won 17 of the 21 matches against the hosts across 11 seasons - the most wins for an IPL team against any opponent.
"(There is) a bit of jinx going on there. I don't know," Lynn said when asked about the Mumbai hurdle.
Lynn said KKR-MI clashes are always feisty affairs as both teams "go up a gear".
"We try and play every game as if it's a final. But reality is it's not. With the Mumbai clash, both teams decide to go up a gear," he said.
"There is tension out in the middle because of the rivalry which we have built over the years. They got the better of us in Mumbai and we would definitely be looking to get one back. We got to get our momentum back which we had in our last couple of games."
KKR, Lynn said, are peaking at the right time and cannot take the foot off the pedal at this juncture as their aim is to "win the Cup".
"Hopefully we are just peaking at the right time of the tournament. You don't win the tournament after 11 games. So we are hoping we get to the 16th game and it's in our favour," Lynn said.
"If we take our foot off the pedal, we can find ourselves very quickly out of the competition. We want to make sure we are out there in the finals, making a run for the Cup," he signed off.
