Bowling coach Kyle Mills said the ploy to play an in-form Rahul Tripathi as an opener and Sunil Narine as a pinch-hitter helped Kolkata Knight Riders in its 10-run win over Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday.
Keeping it tight
Narine, who batted at No. 4 after failing as an opener in previous matches, scored a quick 17. Bowling late, he kept it tight and took the crucial wicket of Shane Watson (50).
“We used Sunil as a pinch-hitter against CSK. A change is as good as a holiday, they say. We moved Tripathi to the top and it paid off for him. Sunil played a cameo, it gave us a little momentum,” Mills said at the post-match press conference.
“With the ball, Sunil came in to bowl a little late, but the job he did at the back-end was comforting to see for us on the sidelines.”
Mills said man-of-the-match Tripathi’s impressive 51-ball 81, which enabled KKR to post a competitive 167, was magical to see.
“Not just in the (KKR) academy, the four weeks leading into the camp here, he was exceptional. He is an example to everyone. He is reaping the rewards.”
Mills praised death-over specialist Andre Russell.
“It’s a real specialist skill-set as to how we like him to bowl at the end of the things… He not only bowls very good yorkers, but he has the ability to bowl fast bouncers. He is a great hand at the back-end of the innings.”
