 |
| John Buchanan |
Calcutta: John Buchanan, former coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), spoke to The Telegraph on the eve of the franchise’s match against the Rajasthan Royals.
Owing to time constraints, the interaction had to be kept somewhat brief.
The following are excerpts
Q With the Knights almost out of contention for a last-four berth, what are your thoughts?
A Look, the tournament has been very unpredictable this year, but congratulations to the Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians for adapting to IPL 2010 better than the other teams... Yet, it remains to be seen whether they can actually go all the way...
But did you expect such an inconsistent performance from KKR?
No... I say this about all teams. It suggests all franchises are still looking for the best ways to play T20.
Where do you think the Knights went wrong?
I will leave the review of KKR’s performances to those who are best placed to analyse.
Who should take the blame?
Why look to blame? It is about building something special... Takes time... Use the parts that have worked well to serve as foundation stones for the future.
Have you actually watched most of the matches?
Not many as I have been relatively busy with my coaching business. I have, however, been following the tournament.
The Knights’ captain, Sourav Ganguly, has played a couple of good hands. Your take?
It is hard for me to comment (specifically) as I have not viewed enough of the tournament... He has, of course, made an impact statistically, despite a poor strike-rate (112.91).
Way forward for KKR...
It is a very simple equation for them — win both games to finish IPL 2010 on a high note.
What would you do if you were the owner?
Being consistent with planning and, therefore, decision-making, is always the best way forward.
In your opinion, what has made the difference for the top teams in this IPL?
There is no real difference between the teams apart from the outstanding performance of Sachin (542 runs in 12 matches) and contributions from his main batsmen and bowlers.
Your semi-finals line-up?
The Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings and the Deccan Chargers.
The last one... Eventual winners?
Royal Challengers.
