KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. |
Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Chandrakant Pandit stated Jasprit Bumrah’s absence for Mumbai Indians does make a difference given the class of the bowler.
However, Pandit felt they would not take Mumbai Indians lightly despite the star bowler not being in their ranks.
“See, the important thing is the way we are playing cricket and the way Mumbai is playing cricket I don’t think we can take any team or opposition for granted. Ofcourse Bumrah has been outstanding but even other bowlers are there but ofcourse he does make a difference to Mumbai Indians.”
The former India cricketer also confirmed that all-rounder Sunil Narine was fully fit and ready to play.
“He is 100 percent fit and fully recovered. He is been practising since yesterday and today also he is practising well. He is absolutely fine.”
On a query whether KKR was fully in control of the Eden Gardens when it comes to handling match affairs like pitch preparation, Pandit gave a diplomatic answer.
“As a coach and part of the team management whatever surfaces have been provided we will play. The control of the pitch is under the curator and at this moment my focus is definitely going to be on the next game tomorrow. So at the moment I’m not thinking about what has to be done and things are under whose control and will only focus on tomorrow’s game which is crucial for us,” he added.
The question revolved around home advantage and Pandit had this to say: I don’t know if they have control over preparing wickets or not. It’s different rules in different states for franchises, so I’m not sure. But as a coach and team management we expect something to be provided.
Mumbai Indians had a 23-9 record over KKR before Pandit took over as coach and after he took over they won both matches against MI. Pandit explained a bit about what changed after he came to the helm.
“More than anything else, I would look at how our team has played the last game. Obviously MI have not been doing well in last couple of games. So that is another advantage that we have. But the game is being played in Mumbai, so we have to adapt to the conditions here immediately. That is what we have been planning and hope to be able to do that.
With regard to the stats, we always want the jinx to be broken. The team has absolutely played well and we would like to continue with that,” he added.
The former Madhya Pradesh coach also felt senior Indian players from pre-IPL era can adapt to the conditions.
“ I don’t think so. Obviously, the kind of experience they have, it is not difficult for any player to adapt to the conditions,” he added.
Pandit revealed that skipper Ajinkya Rahane and him being familiar with the Wankhede is an advantage for them but playing on Mumbai’s red soil wickets are always a challenge.
“It’s always a challenge, conditions are entirely different. Ball comes into the bat. It’s not four day cricket. It is T20.”
