Cameron Green’s start to this IPL in Kolkata Knight Riders colours was far from outstanding. Particularly, in his first five matches, during which he had bowled in just two games.
Questions were often raised over the Knight Riders’ wisdom in splurging ₹25.20 crore on the Australian all-rounder, who also had fitness issues to address going into the competition following a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign. However, since the 79 he scored against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, though in a losing cause, Green has appeared much more settled in the last four games.
Of the four wickets he has taken so far in this IPL, three have come in KKR’s last three games, and they have all been important strikes. Even when the going wasn’t ideal for both Green and the Knights, the 26-year-old never felt any extra pressure owing to his price tag.
“I’ve never felt any pressure from the guys in the team and the coaching staff, especially,” he said after KKR’s eight-wicket win over Delhi Capitals on Friday. “I’ve done it three times now (in the IPL), so I think I’m pretty used to it.”
Maintaining the momentum is key for KKR if they are to make the playoffs, and they need Green to remain energised to finish among the top four. “I play a lot of cricket, so I think I get pretty used to working out my workload and how I can best go throughout the competition to keep the energy for the back end,” he stated.
“When you are training, you’re not trying to over-train, because you can get to the back end of the tournament and you can get quite tired. So, you have to keep yourself as fresh as possible to be playing good cricket by the back end of the competition.”
Though Green has been doing a better job with the ball of late, he’s yet to bowl his full quota of four overs in any of the games. Talking about the matter, he explained: “I’m 100 per cent ready to bowl four overs. Given the make-up of our team, we’ve got Anukul (Roy), who has been exceptional for us, bowling one or two overs. So, that means I can only bowl two or three overs, which has been a really big help.
“Having a left-arm all-rounder (like Anukul) to potentially bowl through the middle gives us some flexibility, and then I can bowl in the Powerplay and potentially at the death, or through the middle as well.”
