Kolkata, April 2 Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane said on Thursday that people who are talking about his strike rate in the IPL have a "certain agenda" against him and are "jealous" of the success he has achieved.
Rahane's strike rate has been a major talking point, especially since he opens the innings for KKR in the IPL.
"My strike rate, I think it's one of the best so far in 2020. The people who are talking about me probably aren't watching the game, or they have a certain agenda against me. They don't like me playing," said the 37-year-old Rahane at the post-match press conference after KKR lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 65 runs.
"They don't like to watch me play. The amount of success I've achieved, I think they're jealous. I'm not too worried," said Rahane, who scored 8 off 10 balls in KKR's 161 all out in 16 overs while chasing 227.
Rahane scored 67 off 40 balls in KKR's opening match on March 29, when they lost by six wickets to Mumbai Indians at Wankhede.
"You guys know what I'm doing. It's just one bad innings. It wasn't a bad innings, but my intent was that sometimes as a batter, you don't get the rhythm or the flow.
"The people who are talking, they don't understand the game, and I think they want me to play a different kind of innings. They didn't expect Ajinkya to improve his game this much. So I'm happy they're talking about me, whether it's positive or negative.
"I'm really happy that they're talking. Let them talk. But batting-wise, and partnership-wise, it's been amazing. We have a very good partnership in Mumbai."
He said playing aggressive cricket in the powerplay is risky, but he knew what he was doing.
"For six overs, you always try to play fearless cricket. Play fearless cricket with freedom. Sometimes, you will struggle. That's okay. It's important to accept that. But I know what I'm doing.
"I know what I did in the past, and I back myself rather than thinking about it. Whoever is talking about me, let them talk," said the former India Test vice-captain.
Rahane also captained KKR last season. He had a strike rate of 147.73 last season, scoring 390 runs from 13 matches.