INDIA PREMIER LEAGUE 2020
“The strike rates are very, very overrated,” Rahul said after the game. © BCCI / IPL
Kings XI Punjab captain KL Rahul has brushed aside concerns about his hit rate, suggesting the figures can be misleading at times. The general consensus is that Rahul has been limiting himself due to KXIP’s poor batting order, which was highlighted by Mujeeb Ur Rahman coming out to bat at No. 7 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday (Oct 9).
Rahul’s hit rate in power play this season has been just 113.3, and despite topping the race charts, his hit rate has garnered attention multiple times. In a game in which Mayank Agarwal scored freely, Rahul hit a 69 of 54 balls in Sharjah against the Rajasthan Royals, a contest that KXIP ultimately lost. Against Chennai Super Kings, his team nearly scored 180 on the board, but Rahul’s 63 came out of 52 deliveries. With KXIP losing again on Thursday, a game in which he made an 11 of 16 balls, attention turned to his inability to force a pace early on.
“The strike rates are very, very overrated,” Rahul said after the game. “For me, it’s just about how I can win games for my team. And if on any given day I think a strike rate of 120 can win the game for my team, I will. This is how I hit and I would like to assume the Responsibility as a leader We all make mistakes, I am not saying that you have not made some mistakes but you learn every day as a leader, as a hitter.
“It’s a partnership. When we’re in the middle as a hitting group, each player has a role in the team and those roles can change in the middle with each game, so I try to do my best for the team, try and assess the situation and play accordingly. For me, at the end of the day, I need to walk knowing that I have tried to win the game. ”
Considering that KXIP has often encountered a short hitter, a change in tactics can serve them well. With head coach Anil Kumble stating during the game that Chris Gayle would have come out against SRH if not for food poisoning, there is a case for Rahul to move one spot lower to accommodate veteran instead of wrestler Glenn Maxwell. Rahul, at No. 3, can not only give Mayank Agarwal and Gayle a lot of latitude to make use of fielding restrictions, but the prospect of the 28-year-old anchoring innings initially and pitching upon death is also tantalizing. . He is more than capable of destroying attacks on death as seen before in the IPL and in his new role as India’s number 5 in ODI.
With Nicholas Pooran also getting into the swing of things, a change in tactic could bode well for KXIP. Pooran registered his first IPL fifty on Thursday and was also the fastest of this edition. “From the way he’s been hitting, even last season we had glimpses of what a good player he is,” Rahul said. “We have had many talks. He is someone who is very interested in being a winner of the match for us.
“Until the moment he was there, he gave us a lot of hope and made the opposition uncomfortable. If three or four of us with our skills can come together (we can win), we have been fielding well, we have shown a lot of heart. There are many positive aspects “The points table does not suggest that. Execution can go wrong, but we have to be patient with the team. We have to continue to believe that we are only a few wins away and that this team will start to look good.”
Rahul also praised his players for coming back strong during SRH innings. At a time when Jonny Bairstow and David Warner were hitting, SRH was almost certain to break the 230-run mark before KXIP pulled things out. “It was great to see the fast players bowling,” he observed. “Even Mujeeb and Ravi bowled well. They showed a lot of heart. When you don’t get grounds in the six (PP), the hitters in the set can hit for some limits and sixes. We know the way Jonny hits, he is very powerful, He can also hit good balls for six. It was good to see how the players kept coming back. ”
Despite their latest loss to keep them at the bottom of the points table, KXIP found a bright spark in the form of young closing Arshdeep Singh, who staged an excellent comeback in death picking up two wickets. When asked if Ishan Porel will also have a chance following Arshdeep’s success, Rahul held out hope that the Bengal pacemaker will give it a try sometime this season. “It’s been really good,” Rahul said. “He has been playing well on the networks. He has also had a great season in first class.
“There are some exciting guys in the lineup and one of them is Ishan. I’m sure he’ll get a game at some point. Arshdeep did well, so it’s great to see a young Indian fast bowler come in and play well. It’s a very good sign. ”
© Cricbuzz
