Finn Allen began his IPL campaign with a bang, smashing 37 off 17 balls against Mumbai Indians at the Wankkhede. His Eden Gardens 'debut' in the next match was also dramatic, with the New Zealand opener racing to 28 off seven balls before being dismissed.
He, however, failed to be in his elements in the next two matches. Just when it seemed he was finding his touch in their last match against LSG, he was given out to a controversial catch by Digvesh Rathi.
Allen is looking to start afresh when the Kolkata Knight Riders take on CSK in Chennai on Tuesday. He urged his teammates to give themselves time to get set, calling for patience in judging their performance.
“It’s the nature of T20 cricket and trying to take down the game. It’s only been a couple of games. I don’t think you can judge too much off two games,” he said on the eve of the match.
“Personally, I had a good start in the first two games. Obviously, I would have liked to kick on more, but preparation has been good and, hopefully, it (a big innings) is just around the corner.”
Allen said the KKR batters need to give themselves more time in the middle to find runs and that they were still getting used to the Eden wicket.
“When all of our batters are at their best and we score at a quick enough rate, it’s just (about) finding that balance between giving yourself a chance to get set...” he said.
“The (Eden wicket) probably hasn’t been as flat as it usually is. For us, it’s been trying to figure out what is a good score on that wicket.”
Allen acknowledged the role of former Australian vice-captain and KKR’s assistant coach Shane Watson on his career.
“I have had a lot of experience with Watto now. He has got a world of knowledge. He is really good to talk to about batting. He is calm (and) I guess he has got a few of my anchors that he knows to bring me back when things are either going too well or not too well. I’ve just been working on my processes and trying to be consistent with those mindset-wise, trying to find that fire (in) every game...”
