KKR captain Nitish Rana appreciated all-rounder Shardul Thakur’s performance against RCB at Eden Gardens on April 6th. Thakur’s outstanding innings of 68 runs off 29 balls, which included nine fours and three sixes, helped KKR recover from a shaky 89/5 to post 204/7 after their batting innings. Their total proved too much for RCB to handle, as they were eventually dismissed for 123 in 17.4 overs.
In a post-match conference, KKR’s skipper commented:
“The way (Rahmanullah) Gurbaz batted at the start and the way Shardul batted… For Shardul, I would like to say that I knew he could make a big impact as a batsman. But the way he batted was well above my expectations. What else does a captain need? If an all-rounder of yours can bat in such a manner in such a situation, what else do you need?”
Thakur and Rinku Singh produced a remarkable partnership of 106 runs, propelling KKR out of trouble and into a powerful position. Praising Rinku’s performance, Rana gave him a huge compliment and said:
“Rinku’s innings was as important as Shardul’s innings. We all know his ability. He can hit sixes at will. I told him that you can hit sixes anytime, but if you can hold one end up till the 19th or 20th over, then do it. He did it.”
Rinku’s innings ended in the nineteenth over as Harshal Patel sent him off.
“A captain cannot ask for much more”: Rana on Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy made a stellar impression on the bowling front with his 4/15 figures, while Sunil Narine took 2/16. Suyash Sharma, the impact player, also shone brightly with 3/30. Rana shared his thoughts about the team’s bowling performance:
“I have a lot of confidence in them (Varun and Narine) when it comes to the middle overs. I don’t need to say anything about Sunny (Narine), given the kind of performances he has come up with over the years. But yes, Varun’s comeback is very important for us.
“Last year, he did not have such a good season. The way he has bowled in the first two games, though, a captain cannot ask for much more.”