Kolkata Knight Riders rookie pacer Ankit Rajpoot said it was a deliberate ploy from its captain Gautam Gambhir to employ five close-in fielders for rival skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni during the IPL match between two teams. Dhoni was left stifled, managing only 8 off 22 balls when rain stopped play.
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"Ball was turning and spinners were getting a lot of help. So we thought of setting an attacking field against Mahibhai ," said Rajpoot.
With Piyush Chawla (2 for 21) in the middle of a fine spell, Dhoni walked out with 74 for 4 in 10.3 overs as Gambhir renewed his spin strategy against the struggling Indian limited overs captain. In a move that reminded one of their first leg match in Pune, Gambhir brought himself at silly point, added two slips, a short leg and a short cover as the move certainly worked as Dhoni failed to get the scoreboard ticking.
"We wanted to create pressure and get him out early to brighten our prospects. Left-handers have it easy, while Mahibhai being a right-hander, we wanted to go for an attacking field."
Failing to break free against the spinners, Supergiants were 103 for 6 in 17.4 overs when rain halted play as the target was revised to 66 from nine overs on Duckworth-Lewis method. The wicket was offering turn and keeping low but Rajpoot said it was still good for the batsmen who applied themselves.
"Wicket was very good for batting and bowling. I don’t think it was bad for batting. The batsmen who applied themselves did well on this track."
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