New Delhi [India], May 9 : Following his side's win over Delhi Capitals (DC), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane expressed happiness with the performances of his team's spinners and centurion Finn Allen. With four matches left before the playoffs, the Knight Riders' skipper said that he is taking it one game at a time.
KKR continue to drag themselves from the bottom to the race for the playoffs, with a thumping win over the Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday. A spin choke from Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Anukul Roy in the middle-overs stopped DC's run-flow, allowing them to score just 142/8 in 20 overs, with Ashutosh Sharma's quickfire 39 in the end providing some momentum long after Pathum Nissanka had scored a half-century.
During an easy chase, Allen's 47-ball 100* made sure KKR registered its fourth successive win of the season after six winless matches and handed its fifth successive home loss to DC.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Rahane expressed happiness with Allen's knock, the spinners and said that the fielding department is where the team is putting in some strict work.
"I'm really happy for Finn Allen. He was struggling in the first four or five games, working really hard, but the way he batted tonight was fantastic. But I want to praise our bowlers again. We did well because of them. And they've been doing it so well consistently, especially those middle overs and the death overs. Our spinners, Sunil Narine, Varun and Anukul Roy, have been fantastic. Fielding-wise, yes, we are working really hard. Our fielding coach has been really strict with us. And that is what has been helping us," he said.
On Narine, he said that he likes to "leave him alone".
"As a captain, I'm so lucky to have Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy in our side. You do not have to tell them too much," he said.
Rahane also said that for their side, it is about "staying in the moment".
"It is always about being in the moment. We've been playing very good cricket in the first five games. Those crucial moments in this format are really important. If you are attentive, if you are proactive, and then being in the moment, that is what helped us. But I want to give credit to our bowling coaches, Tim Southee and Dwayne Bravo. They have been working really hard with our bowlers. It's been fantastic," he said.
Speaking of his two domestic talents, Anukul (eight wickets in 10 matches at an average of over 22) and Kartik (13 wickets in 10 matches at an average of over 24, the side's highest wicket-taker), he said, "I am really happy for Anukul Roy, who had a fantastic domestic season. Kartik Tyagi has been really good, very clear in his mindset, and a very confident guy. These two guys have been really good. But overall, as a bowling unit, we are doing really well," he signed off.
Coming to the match, KKR won the toss and opted to field first. After a 49-run stand between Pathum Nissanka (50 in 29 balls, with five fours and three sixes) and KL Rahul, DC sunk to 89/5, with Anukul Roy (2/31 in four overs) shaking up their middle-order. Spinners Varun Chakravarthy (0/28) and Sunil Narine (1/17) also unleashed a brutal spin choke in the middle overs, while Kartik Tyagi took two crucial wickets for 25 runs. Ashutosh Sharma (39 in 28 balls, with three fours and sixes each) took DC to 142/8 in 20 overs.
In the chase, KKR lost openers skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi early, reduced to 31/2, but a 116-run stand between Allen and Cam Green (33* in 27 balls, with two sixes) took KKR to a win in 14.2 overs, with eight wickets in hand.
KKR has climbed to seventh with their fourth successive win, with their playoff chances alive. DC has slipped to eighth, suffering its fifth successive loss at home and its seventh of the season. Their playoff chances are extinct.