In Kolkata Knight Riders' chase of 163 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday, Manish Pandey’s wicket had given Sunrisers the assurance of clinching the IPL Eliminator; Pandey's was the sixth KKR wicket with 125 on the board. David Warner, the Sunrisers skipper, acknowledged as much after the contest.
> Match report: Sunrisers Hyderabad wins by 22 runs, knocks out Kolkata Knight Riders
“I always felt that if we got Pandey out, we were always going to be in a good shape to win this game. I felt that our bowlers executed (the plans) very well. If you look at their bottom hitting as well, a guy like Jason Holder can come in and hit the ball out of the park. It was exciting to get a couple of early wickets first up. We knew the important wickets were going to be obviously Pandey and Yusuf (Pathan) on this wicket because it is more of a track where those guys can hit the ball and get ahead of the run-rate. So we knew if we could get the two out when they came in and didn’t let them build a partnership like the last game, we were always going to be ahead of the game,” said Sunrisers skipper David Warner.
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Defending a target of 163 was a concern, thought Warner. “I thought we were 10 or 15 runs a bit short. Before the toss, I was in two minds if I won it whether to bat or bowl. I have always felt that playing here in the past, when you get good runs on the board and put pressure on the opposition, it is always hard to get going. That’s how we felt today when we were batting. We talked about not losing wickets in clumps, and then I played the shot like how I did and then let two new batters come in.”
Warner did not spare himself. “I was really disappointed with how I got out, but look obviously that spinner bowled well, (Kuldeep) Yadav bowled well. He bowled well on a turning track in the last game. You saw what can happen if you bowl to an experienced player like Yuvi. It’s always hard for a youngster to come and bowl to an experienced batsman because they use their feet. Look, he is going to be a good spinner in years to come definitely.”
Bhuvneshwar praiseworthy
On missing Ashish Nehra, out due to knee injury, Warner said, “That experience of Nehra was a big miss for us. Obviously he knows this wicket very well and his experience is second to none. The guys have stepped up, and Barinder Sran has been bowling very well. He is still learning, he is still a bit green, but he is always willing to learn. I think a big credit goes to Bhuvneshwar (Kumar) because he has been helping him a lot. He has been talking to him day in and day out about what plans to have to different players. He is learning. Fantastic effort and obviously towards the end Bipul Sharma hitting two sixes really helped us to get to a good total.”
Warner pointed out the trend of chasing was changing. “I am a believer of runs on the board in these kind of games. When you see a total of 160, you can be in two minds as a batting unit. You can either get off to a good start and have positive intent or you can try and get through the first six and set a platform to the end.
"There is always going to be pressure in every situation but with runs on the board you can always feel a little bit ahead of the game. You saw when they lost wickets in clumps and we didn’t let them have a partnership going, it was hard for the new batter to come in and play the shots. The pressure was on the other guy at the other end to play the shots. That’s what happens in this format. If you get two new batters in, it is very hard when you are chasing.”
Kuldeep Yadav, who did well for KKR, noted, “The turning point was when Yusuf's wicket fell. We kept losing wickets regularly which wasn't a good sign for us.”
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