If we do well in all three departments, only then we have a chance, says KKR captain Nitish Rana
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fter losing their sixth match in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 against Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Nitish Rana said that that they have to deliver in all three departments if they want to end up on the winning side.
KKR lost to GT by seven wickets, with 13 balls left at their home venue Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
"We kept them quiet in the middle overs but against such teams, if you do not take your chances, you will end up on the losing side. If we do well in all three departments, only then will we have a chance. Unless we do that, the result will not be in our favour," the KKR skipper said in a post-match presentation.
At the post-match presentation Nitish Rana said that his team had not stepped up and were 20-25 runs short and dropped crucial catches.
"I think we were 20-25 runs short. If we keep dropping catches against big teams, I do not think the result will be any different. No one apart from Gurbaz and Russell got going. There were not enough partnerships and had we had a partnership of 40-50 runs, the score could have been more," he added.
"I feel the small moments are more important than the big moments. If you do these small things well, like taking catches and fielding well, there are more chances of victory," Nitish further said
Put to bat first by GT, KKR put up a competitive total of 179/7 in their 20 overs. Wickets kept falling for KKR, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz kept the other end steady with an explosive knock of 81 runs in 39 balls, which consisted of five fours and seven sixes. At the end, an entertaining cameo from Andre Russell (34 off 19 balls, with two fours and three sixes) pushed KKR to a competitive score.
Mohammed Shami was the pick of the bowlers for GT, taking 3/33 in his four overs. Joshua Little (2/25) and Noor Ahmed (2/21) also delivered economical four-over spells.
However, it was an off day for Rashid as he gave away 54 runs in four overs without any wickets, with an economy rate of 13.50.
In the chase of 180, Shubman Gill started really well. He played a knock of 49 in 35 balls, consisting of eight fours. He was supported well by skipper Hardik Pandya, who scored 26 off 20 balls, with two fours and a six and put on a 50-run stand for the second wicket. After they both were dismissed, GT was reduced to 93/3 in 11.2 overs.
The duo of Vijay Shankar (51* in 24 balls, with two fours and five sixes) and David Miller (32* in 18 balls with two fours and two sixes) helped GT seal a seven-wicket win with 13 balls to go.
Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana and Andre Russell got a wicket each.
Joshua Little was named as the 'Player of the Match' for his spell of 2/25.
With this win, GT are the new table-toppers with 12 points, having won six matches out of eight. KKR are at the seventh position with three wins and six losses.
✔️ If we do well in all three departments, only then we have a chance, says KKR captain Nitish Rana
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