Chennai, April 15 (IANS) Ajinkya Rahane admitted that a lack of momentum with the bat continues to hurt Kolkata Knight Riders, even as he praised the bowling unit for keeping the contest alive in their clash against Chennai Super Kings, which they lost by 32 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.

Reflecting on the performance, Rahane pointed out that KKR’s bowlers had done well to recover after a tough start in the Power-play.

“No real momentum with the bat. Absolutely. I thought that with the ball, we retreated really good. 190 on this wicket was really good, especially the powerplay that they got, 70-odd runs. After that, pulling back to 190 was an amazing job from our bowling unit,” the KKR skipper said after the loss.

Despite the bowlers’ efforts, Rahane acknowledged that the batting unit failed to capitalise, particularly in the Power-play, where KKR got off to a slow start.

“I thought initially with our batting, we just got 36 or 37 runs in the Power-play. I thought that was really important. Middle phase, to hitting spinners was slightly challenging, but apart from that, the wicket was really good,” he said.

The KKR skipper emphasised the need for one batter to anchor the innings and take the game deep, something that has been missing in recent outings, saying, “We needed one batter to bat until deep and then take it in the end.”

With the team struggling to string together wins, Rahane admitted it has been a challenging phase but stressed the importance of staying mentally strong. “I think it's tough at the moment. Yes, we're not winning matches; it's tough. What is important for all of us as a group to stay positive, keep our heads up, keep our chin up, just focus on the moment,” he mentioned.

He also hinted that the team management may revisit combinations in search of the right balance as results continue to elude them, stating, “Yes, we'll have to sit in the dressing room, think about the combinations. We'll have to make any changes. Sometimes you bat with the players, the results are going your way, then it's okay. But if the results are not going your way, then you'll have to think about the combination.”

Rahane, however, reserved special praise for young pacer Kartik Tyagi, highlighting his rapid progress and growing impact.

“I think all credit goes to him. I mean, he's working really hard in the nets. He's been bowling really good and is a great talent. The pace at which he's bowling at the moment has been amazing. So I'm really happy for him. Game by game, he's improving his skills,” he said.

The KKR captain also acknowledged the role of spinners from both sides, noting that conditions made strokeplay difficult through the middle overs.

“Yeah, all three spinners. I mean, if you see from CSK spinners, they also bowled really well. It was not easy for batters to hit big sixes unless you bowled really full. It was easy. Otherwise, putting it back and then going across wasn't an easy option for the batters. So I thought from both sides, spinners bowled really well. So I thought from both sides, spinners bowled really well,” Rahane noted.

As KKR look to revive their campaign, Rahane reiterated the need for belief and composure within the group, expressing, “We just have to, as I said, keep that head up and just be positive and have that self-belief.”

--IANS

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