R Ashwin was surprised when he saw Ajinkya Rahane decide to bat first in the game against Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens on Monday, April 6. KKR, who lost their first two games, had an early advantage when they won the toss.
Given that it has been rainy in Kolkata over the past few days and with the forecast of showers during the game, it was expected that Kolkata would opt to bowl first. But Rahane had other ideas and said that the team will bat and set a target for PBKS to chase.
Ashwin immediately tweeted after the game got underway, saying it was an interesting thought process from the KKR think tank. KKR are also without the services of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy for the game, depleting their bowling even further.
“When you know it’s going to be a rain affected game, with an inexperienced bowling attack at your disposal, you choose to bat first. Interesting thought process,” said Ashwin on X.
Soon after the game started, the ball started to swing with great effect with Xavier Bartlett benefiting the most from it. The Australian pacer bowled a sensational first over, dismissing Finn Allen and Cameron Green, who failed to impress yet again.
Former KKR player Shreevats Goswami said that it was a bit of a shocker to see Rahane opt to bat first.
“Very surprised to see Rahane winning the toss & electing to bat first on a overcast condition. Bit of a shocker there. Immediately you can see swing and 2 caught behinds. Very very brave call,” said Goswami.
WHY DID KKR BAT FIRST?
Rahane justified the call to bat first on the day, saying that the pitch was on the dry side and there was less grass on the surface.
“We are going to bat first. Looks a good wicket. Little bit on the dry side. But looks very good wicket. Slightly less grass on the surface that’s why we want to bat first,” said Rahane.
It seems like the call hasn’t worked out well for KKR, as they were reduced to 25 for two in 3.4 overs before rain halted play at the Eden Gardens.
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