New Delhi [India], April 27 (ANI): Former India all-rounder Ajay Jadeja feels there is still hope for Kolkata Knight Riders to defend their crown if they go on a winning spree and script victory in their remaining fixtures in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League.
With seven points from nine fixtures, the Knight Riders are on the verge of ending their title defence in the group stage. Kolkata has been tweaking its squad in a bid to find the winning momentum as the group phase heads towards its business end.
KKR’s two-match losing streak ended after rain relentlessly pelted down in their home den, Eden Gardens, and washed away their fixture against Punjab Kings. With five fixtures left, KKR would need to notch up their performances to stand in contention for breaching the top-four spot.
“I think, if KKR gets to win three out of four games, they would believe that they still have a chance. I think any side would. When it’s four out of four, then it gets really tough because of this format. You should win if you’re a better side or you’re playing well enough, but there are days when somebody comes and beats you. If you want to win that game, you’ve got to keep your belief,” Jadeja said on JioHotstar.
“I think Kolkata Knight Riders would be happier with that one point. For Punjab Kings, they could have got nothing out of this. Punjab would be upset, but this is how the game goes. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it goes against you — it’s the nature of the beast,” he added.
Even though KKR and PBKS couldn’t fight till the end for the invaluable two points, there was still some entertainment on offer for the spectators, considering the blitzkrieg from Punjab’s uncapped stars Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh.
Prabhsimran curbed his instincts well enough to allow his partner Priyansh Arya to set the game’s tempo at Eden Gardens. He absorbed the early pressure and then expressed himself. The uncapped duo stitched up a 120-run opening partnership to clear Punjab’s way to a daunting 201/4, especially after the wicket turned its nature and shifted to a slower side.
Priyansh, with a mood of bellicosity, hammered 69 from 36 deliveries with a whopping eight fours and four towering maximums. Meanwhile, Prabhsimran made KKR bowlers tilt at windmills, with his 83(49) with six boundaries and as many maximums.
“He (Prabhsimran) had really good power. His strike rate was sort of sitting and hovering in that 120 to 130 category for some time. There was also really good partnership building between him and Priyansh. Prabhsimran then just put his foot to the floor, and all of a sudden, he started to get his power release shots going — big shots, square of the wicket, down the ground. Using his impact shots that were sliding that way or going the other way. That put pressure on all the bowlers as well,” Matthew Hayden said about Prabhsimran.
“He (Priyansh) just played the way he does and played long enough. It’s a template that he would probably take forward. He wasn’t just going out there and smacking everything at the start of the evening, which is what he’s comfortable with. But once the spin came on or the opposition showed their strength, he held himself back. He played the way he should have,” Jadeja said about Priyansh.
“He managed to shift gears again today — pulled his gear back when needed. It’s not that he can only go one way. That would give him a lot of confidence. An experience like this would make him an even better player. He’s a fabulous player and should carry on the way he is, but you need to keep adding to yourself. Today is a day he would probably be very satisfied with,” he added. (ANI)
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