Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri hailed Kolkata Knight Riders for their comfortable win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday. The two-time champions outplayed Virat Kohli-led side by 21 runs to register their 3rd victory in the league stage.
The two-time champions came into the contest after four losses on the trot in the league stage, asking to bat first KKR were off to a flying start in the powerplay, with Jason Roy continuing his fine form for the Men in Purple, with them scoring 66-0 at the end of the powerplay.
Speaking on Star Sports about KKR’s performance against RCB, Ravi Shastri said that he wanted KKR to bat first and put some decent runs on the board and trust their spinners to defend the total, as their strength lies in the spin bowling department.
“I said earlier in the evening that it is a good thing for KKR that they are batting first. Putting runs on the board in good batting conditions and getting their spinners into play is just what the doctor ordered,” Ravi Shastri said.
“As far as KKR were concerned, they were going to bat first had they won the toss. Nitish Rana was quite clear about it. They went about their job really well. Lots of positives for them, their batting, and a lot of their top-order batters getting runs”.
KKR spinner was on the top of RCB batters in the 2nd innings, With 201 runs to chase, RCB Openers took on the KKR pacers in the first two overs to score 30-0, with the KKR skipper bringing in the spin from both ends which paid off for the two-time champions, as they picked up the important wickets of Faf du Plessis, Shabaz Ahmed and Glenn Maxwell inside the powerplay.
I Think That The Timing Of The Win Is Good From KKR’s Point Of View – Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri feels West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell’s return to form is a hugely positive sign for the two-time champions and said they should try to continue their winning momentum in the forthcoming games to give themselves a good chance to qualify for the playoffs.
“Russell coming to the party with the ball. So, I think that the timing of the win is good from KKR’s point of view. They have got four matches at home after this out of the 6 or 7 remainings,” Ravi Shastri added.
Kolkata Knight Riders will look to continue their winning run against defending champions Gujarat Titans in their next game in iconic Eden Gardens on Saturday. In their previous encounter, Rinku Singh played unarguably one of the best knocks of IPL to score five sixes in Yash Dayal’s final over to help his team cross the line in the famous Narendra Modi Stadium.