The light-hearted moments head coach Chandrakant Pandit and mentor Dwayne Bravo had late into Tuesday’s training session at the Eden suggest a far better ambience in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ camp.
Pandit’s sombre expression in the dugout — especially, after the Knight Riders failed to chase down 112 against Punjab Kings; after they were outplayed at home by the Gujarat Titans — has been replaced by a much more relaxed look. All thanks to the defending champions’ back-to-back wins over Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, which have helped them stay in the playoffs race.
The Knights’ job, though, is far from over. They still have three more matches to win, with the first against the already-eliminated Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.
Considering how they have been playing lately, it’s a game the Knights are expected to win. But on their part, they need to cut down the unforced errors as much as possible in all three facets of the game.
To speak of their batting, the group performed collectively in the last two games as the Knights breached 200 on both occasions. But with the ball, especially against the Royals last Sunday, the performance wasn’t something to be proud of, as a bit too many loose balls allowed the opponents to fight back despite been reduced to 71/5.
So, will the Knights tweak their bowling attack for Wednesday’s clash? South African quick Anrich Nortje had an extended session of bowling at the nets during Tuesday’s optional practice. With the pitch to be in use having a little more grass content, it will be interesting to see if Nortje is selected as one of their four overseas players.
Vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer is learnt to have hurt his left hand, and KKR are working on getting him fit for the game.
The Knights, during Tuesday’s training, had the ‘Shahoshi Rani’ logo on the back of their practice jerseys to honour women displaying bravery, resilience and determination in adversity. One expects them to play with similar courage and boldness even if put under pressure by the Super Kings.
