IPL 2018: Ajinkya Rahane rues poor fielding after Rajasthan Royals’ heavy defeat against KKR

Rahane also admitted they were 15-20 runs short with the bat.

KKR defeated Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets | IANS

After Rajasthan Royals’ seven-wicket defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday (April 18), Ajinkya Rahane rued his team’s poor fielding and admitted that they were 15-20 runs short with the bat.

Defending the total of 161 runs, RR players committed quite a few mistakes on the field as KKR reached home in 18.5 overs with 7 wickets in hand. This was Kolkata’s second consecutive win and by virtue of the superior run-rate, they have become the table topper of IPL 2018 for now.  

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rajasthan skipper Rahane said: “I thought we were 15-20 runs short. In T20 it’s always not about scoring 180. In this format, fielding is a crucial part. We let ourselves down in fielding. This is very disappointing. Today, the ball was keeping low. But no complaints. I got a good start and it was my responsibility to carry on. We thought 175-180 would have been good on this wicket.”

Rahane also felt that his troops lacked the intensity on the field for this particular match.

“Doesn't make too much difference (losing the toss) I believe in playing good cricket. The intensity has to be up to the mark. Our intensity was a little bit down today. It wasn't there. I wanted to keep backing my players. T20 is all about backing your players. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Boys are doing really well. I just wanted to stick to the same combination,” he added.

On the other hand, KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik was glad to register two wins on the trot.

“Feels good to get two wins on the trot. Slowly things are going in a good direction. Just feel that the wrist-spinners are a little harder to pick. For the fast bowlers, it could come onto the bat. So it makes sense to go with spinners at the top. Spinners did a good job for us,” Karthik quoted at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“Consistency is something we're looking at as a team. Rana is a good player. Last year he did well for MI. And now he's come to KKR. He's got a couple of rough ones, got a couple of good catches taken off him. His arm is slightly higher than Kedar Jadhav but he's done a good job for us,” he further said.

While Rajasthan Royals will play the Chennai Super Kings in their next match in Pune on Friday (April 20), KKR will take on the Kings XI Punjab on Saturday (April 21) at the Eden Gardens.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 19 Apr, 2018

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