Ajinkya Rahane was a relieved man after KKR finally got their first win of the season and in the mood for some jokes. Rahane was always the first man to be interviewed on five occasions this season from their six games as Kolkata were always on the losing side and heading straight back to the dressing room.
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But on Sunday, April 19, he got some extra time on the field, according to the KKR skipper himself, five extra minutes. He started off his post-match presentation by mentioning that fact.
“First of all, really happy to be here. I got five extra minutes after the game,” said Rahane.
The KKR skipper was quick to deflect his praise towards Rinku Singh, who scored a brilliant 53 to get his side home, and Varun Chakravarthy, who picked up three wickets for 14 to return to form. There was also a special mention for Anukul Roy, who held his nerve and allowed Rinku to finish the match.
“Personally, I am really happy for Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy and Varun Chakaravarthy. The way he bowled in the middle, he was going through a tough phase but he has bowled well in the last three games.”
“Rinku, again, going through tough phase mentally. Really happy to see him finish the game. Anukul Roy, he had a fantastic domestic season. Today, he could not bowl because of the left-handers. But really happy to see how they batted for us,” said Rahane.
STRIKE-RATE IS OVERRATED?
It was a run chase of 156 runs for Kolkata, but they found themselves in trouble at some big moments in the chase. Rahane felt that the chase on the day was all about rotating the strike and felt that strike-rate on the day was overrated.
“There’s lots to learn from every game. Batting powerplay has not been good for us in the last three games. Sometimes I feel strike-rate is overrated. On this kind of wicket, you have to focus on singles and doubles, it is not about hitting big sixes. Last couple of games, we made those errors. It was a great escape for us.”
“Thankfully, we will get those 5 days now. We need to reflect and learn from our mistakes. As a team we have to come together probably, be honest with each other and have clear communication. The atmosphere in the dressing room in excellent,” said Rahane.
KKR will next face LSG on April 26 in Lucknow.
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