Ajinkya Rahane scored 36 against KKR. (Source: BCCI)
After a terrific win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last match, Rajasthan Royals faced a thumping defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders at home. Chasing 161, KKR went over the line by 7 wickets to grab second win on the trot. Talking about his team’s performance, Ajinkya Rahane during the post-match presentation admitted that it was his side’s fielding efforts that put them on the backfoot.
“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. Very disappointing. Game 1 – (the wicket had) very good bounce. 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. 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 (on an unchanged XI). 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,” Rahane said.
Rajasthan Royals will next play Chennai Super Kings in Pune on Friday while Kolkata Knight Riders will be up against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali.