Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 3 : Following his side's win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane hailed spinner Varun Chakravarthy for staging a remarkable comeback and expressed optimism that he will "continue" delivering fine performances.
A sensational three-wicket spell by Varun and a well-compiled knock by Angkrish Raghuvanshi helped KKR secure their third win of the season by seven wickets. Heading into the tournament after a mixed bag T20 World Cup, where spinners' form fell after the group stage, Varun was wicketless in his first three matches. However, in his next four matches, Varun has taken 10 wickets.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Rahane said that it was a great wicket to bat on and 190-200 would have been a tough target to chase.
"Credit to our bowlers. They kept on taking wickets. The bowling unit has been doing really well. Credit goes to our bowling coaches. It is all about planning and executing. As long as you are clear in your head, that is important. The victory was very important," he said.
Rahane said that despite losing five matches, the atmosphere was calm" within the team and lauded Varun for his performance.
"We lost those five matches, but the atmosphere was calm. We kept it really cool. Really happy for Varun. The way he came back was amazing. Works really hard. Great attitude. He has been bowling in the tough situations. I am sure he will continue his performance," he signed off.
With this win, KKR has risen to eight spot, having also endured five losses and a no result, giving them seven points. SRH is at the fourth spot, with six wins and four losses, giving them 12 points.
SRH won the toss and opted to bat first. However, despite knocks from Travis Head (61 in 27 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) and Ishan Kishan (42 in 29 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes), the Men in Orange failed to capitalise, with Varun Chakravarthy (3/36) and Sunil Narine (2/31) getting quick wickets, causing SRH to collapse from 105/1 to 165 all out.
Later, in a run-chase of 166 runs, Finn Allen (29 in 13 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and an 84-run stand with skipper Ajinkya Rahane (43 in 35 balls, with three fours and a six) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (59 in 47 balls, with five fours and two sixes) took KKR to a seven-wicket win with 10 balls left.