KKR never bound to improve

Well if one goes through yesterday's match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians, once again the Kolkata Knight Riders were sen getting to their old tactics when they retained as many as 7 wickets by the end of the 20th over yet again putting up a modest total of just over 150 on the board. None of the three batsmen who made it to the crease had their strike rates more than even 140 when a strike rate of 150 is said to be ideal in the T20 match. The KKR innings was more or less like a test innings where wickets are kept intact.

No matter that all three batsmen from the Kolkata Knight Riders namely Chris Gayle, SouravGanguly and Owais Shah came up with decent scores when they scored 75 and 31 each. But, what is the use of the same when that could hardly guarantee them a face in the match let alone a victory. They had to be specially reminded that they were facing a team that is at present positioned at the top of the points table. Nothing special could have been expected from SouravGanguly and Owais Shah taking into account their hard hitting capabilities. But, Gayle is known for his hard hitting abilities.

Chris Gayle was the first batsman in the history of the T20 game to have scored a century when he belted the South African bowlers for a 57 ball 117 in the first match of the inaugural T20 world cup held at South Africa. But, the way he was found batting in the game against the Mumbai Indians once again showed the pressure which he was supposed to be having that was imposed by his team and not by the opposition. If this is the way the KKR are found playing repeatedly, it shows what the coaches are upto. When an ordinary cricket enthusiast like me can find the drawback the KKR are facing, it is confusing why the coach has not been able to do?

On the otherhand, even the Mumbai Indians lost not more than 3 wickets like the KKR to overtake the total of 155 to win. More than the effort by the Mumbai team on the field, it was their game planning which saw them victorious at the end of the day. They were well aware of the team strategy of the KKR that they would not get into a good score despite having so many wickets in hand. This was evident when Sachin Tendulkar bought in just 5 bowlers who bowled their complete quota of 4 overs each. No matter if they couldn't get wickets but were successful in restricting the opposition to a below par total.