Defending Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) moved to third in the table after their eight-wicket win on Friday. KKR beat Chennai Super Kings in a one-sided contest at the Chepauk with 59 balls to spare. At the end of the game, KKR’s assistant coach heaped massive praise on skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
The former West Indian pacer was heard saying, “Quite often, when I'm working with teams with young players, we often look at our role models. We often look in another team for somebody else, and it might be MS Dhoni; it might be Kohli. Jinks (Ajinkya Rahane) is a role model for everybody here in this dressing room as a batter. And I'll tell you why. I believe that when we set up the roster every day, Jinks wants 20 minutes, no bowlers, some little bubble feeds from us and throws from the throwers."
Gibson went on to add, “He never hits in the air. On the floor. Then when the game starts, he knows what his technique is. His strike rate is above 150. He practises what he wants to play everyday. And when he bats with us in the middle, he has a certain confidence and certain calmness as he goes about his business. He's a role model for the young guys. We should pay attention to the way he goes about his business.”
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Ajinkya Rahane: leading KKR by example
36-year-old Ajinkya Rahane is in the top five list of the leading run-getters in the IPL with 204 runs from six games so far. Rahane scored 20 not out and played a great shot for six during the game against his former IPL side. The veteran batter has been in top form this season and is looking to make his comeback to the side.
Rahane began the season with his knock of 56 in the first game of the season against Bengaluru. This was followed by knocks of 18 and 11 against Rajasthan and Mumbai, respectively. The veteran batter then scored 38 against Hyderabad before scoring 61 in the game against Lucknow, which KKR lost by four runs.
Speaking at the end of the game vs CSK on Friday, Rahane credited the win to the knowledge he carried after being part of the CSK side for a few years. Rahane said, “We had our plans. I have played here the last two years; so has Moeen. DJ (Dwyane Bravo) knows the conditions as well. The wicket is a bit sticky; the ball stops on you a bit. Credit goes to the spinners; our plans worked well today. Long way to go in the tournament; don't want to share too much of those plans.”
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