KOLKATA: The pressure was mounting on Kolkata Knight Riders after six matches without a win and the significance of Sunday’s win over Varun Chakravarthy was not lost.The player said: “I saw more tears in the locker room today than I saw after we won the championship (in 2024).”
“This win is of great importance to us.”It has kept them alive in the tournament, even though the road ahead is very difficult.It was a big day for Varun too, as he announced his return to the lineup with figures of three for 14. However, he doesn’t want to overdo it. “The wickets were helping us a little bit and when that happens, the bowler will tend to attack,” he said.
In fact, he had found nothing wrong with his bowling over the previous two months when he was giving away too many runs.
“It’s all about what kind of wicket you get,” he said.“I am very strict with myself. If I don’t do well, I go and identify what is not there. But the layups were such that there was nothing for the spinners. If I saw other spinners as well, it was the same for everyone. So, yes, it is nice that there is something for the spinners now (in Eden).”However, he agreed that despite the slow wicket at Eden Gardens on Sunday, 190 was par for the course. Rajasthan Royals batting coach Vikram Rathore agreed with Varun.
“We were at least 20 runs short,” said Rathore, who is also a former India batting coach.He lamented that left-arm pacer Nandri Berger failed to catch Rinku Singh when batting at eight, which proved to be the decisive moment, but added that it was part of the game. “Yes, it made a difference, but these things happen.”