Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was disappointed by Ajinkya Rahane`s captaincy against the Mumbai Indians. Harbhajan believed that Rahane should have used Sunil Narine early in the innings against Rohit Sharma, given his good record against the MI opener.
KKR bowlers took a thrashing on Wankhede Stadium as MI chased down 221 runs comfortably. Rohit Sharma starred with 78 runs off 38 balls, along with his opening partner, Rickleton, who scored 81 off 43 balls. The opening pair scored 148 runs in 72 balls to set the platform for a comfortable chase for the hosts.
Speaking about KKR`s approach towards defending their total, Harbhajan Singh showed his disappointment over the use of Sunil Narine. Narine was brought into the attack after the power play when Rohit and Rickleton were both set.
“The best match-up was to bowl Sunil Narine in the powerplay, at least one or two overs to target Rohit Sharma early. That was their best chance to pick wickets and put Mumbai under pressure. Instead, Narine didn`t even complete his full quota, which shows the captaincy wasn`t up to the mark. Credit to Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton. They batted with ease and never let the bowlers settle, but KKR could have handled that phase much better,” Harbhajan told JioStar.
Harbhajan and Irfan Pathan heap praise on Shardul Thakur
Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan heaped praise on Shardul Thakur, who took three wickets in the first innings. The duo praised Shardul`s wholeheartedness and confidence while bowling difficult overs.
“He`s not a bowler who gets intimidated, even when batters are attacking. He keeps coming at you. What stands out is how he uses his variations,” Pathan said.
“Every time he starts his run-up, he`s already changing his grip, whether it`s for a slower ball, cross-seam, or even a scrambled seam delivery. He`s always trying to make something happen.” Pathan added.
Irfan Pathan further added that Shardul constantly experiments with his bowling and is reaping the rewards now.
“He invites batters to go for big shots and thrives on that. He doesn`t have express pace or big swing, but he`s constantly experimenting with different lengths and speeds, and that`s why he keeps picking up wickets,” Pathan concluded.
(With PTI Input)
