Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Dinesh Karthik admitted that they were 10-15 runs short after conceding the game against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Eden Gardens. In pursuit of 179 runs, Delhi sailed past the target with seven balls to spare.
Meanwhile, Kolkata faced their second consecutive defeats – first against Chennai Super Kings and then against Delhi Capitals. Andre Russell once again played a blistering knock of 45 runs from 21 deliveries, but it was not enough to save Kolkata Knight Riders from their defeat. Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant shared a match-winning stand to take their team over the rope. Dhawan was unbeaten on 97 runs and announced his return to form ahead of the World Cup.
Dinesh Karthik speaking after the game said that they were 10-15 runs short. He also added that Eden Gardens is a fast ground and teams need to score 5-10 runs more than par score on other venues.
“We knew that we needed to get a big total but we ended up getting probably 10-15 runs short. Eden has been one place where the wicket is so true and the outfield being so fast, the boundaries come easily. So here you have to get a score which is about 5-10 runs more than par on other grounds,” Karthik said at the post-match news conference.
We could have bowled better: Karthik
Furthermore, Dinesh Karthik also added the bowlers need to step up and contribute more to the teams cause. Meanwhile, Sunil Narine was not a part of the playing XI due to a hamstring injury. The Kolkata skipper also added that they were not short of any bowler and had options in hand. Karthik expected his bowlers to deliver better which didn’t happen. But Dinesh Karthik seemed okay with it saying that it happens at times.
“We were definitely not a bowler short for sure. We had more options like Carlos (Brathwaite). We were a few runs short and could have bowled a little better. I expected our bowlers to perform better but that did not turn out to be. Such things happen in a game of cricket,” he concluded.