COMMENT – Ideally, we would have liked to have come home for Deccan Chargers’ game with a win under our belts. We are disappointed at having lost a game that we had sewn up when we needed just nine off eight balls. We lost it from there by the narrowest of margins, and these losses can be heart-breaking. However, we did gain some positives. First, we did well without two of our top overseas pros. Second, we stretched a strong Chennai Super Kings and played well enough to get into a winning situation.
After the game, team owner Shah Rukh Khan had a word with us, and told us not to be disappointed since we had played well and this is just the start and there are 13 games left. Shah Rukh is always a pleasure to have around because he is a motivator par excellence. We take on the Deccan Chargers, a strong team who have quite a few match-winners and a bowling attack that boasts of Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma.
However, there’s no point thinking of their strengths, it’s better to focus on our strong points and game plan. KKR won six of their seven home games last year and we would like to continue that trend this time as well. Players do carry memories of past performances on various grounds and I have fond memories of the Eden Gardens. I scored a century in an ODI a couple of years ago and it was an innings I have wonderful memories of.
The Eden Gardens is synonymous with Sourav Ganguly. As his teammate and later whenever we have met, it’s always been a pleasure to talk to him and pick his brains on batting, especially since he is a southpaw like me.
