Kolkata, April 3 – Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane has responded to criticism regarding his strike rate, suggesting that there is a “certain agenda” and an element of “jealousy” behind the comments.
The criticism arose after KKR suffered a 65-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday. Despite a promising start, the team failed to build impactful partnerships and were bowled out for 161 in 16 overs, remaining winless this season.
The loss focused attention on Rahane’s performance and strike rate. The KKR captain, who scored 8 off 10 balls on Thursday, reacted strongly to the criticism.
“My strike rate… I think it’s one of the best so far this year. Those who are talking about me probably haven’t been watching the game, or they have a certain agenda against me. They don’t like me playing in a certain way,” he said, without mentioning anyone specifically during the post-match media interaction.
“They don’t like me playing. They may be envious of my success. But I’m not worried about it.”
Approaching his 38th birthday, Rahane has been a transformed batter, scoring 391 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 161.57 for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, finishing among the top five batters.
Rahane also led KKR last season despite their eighth-place finish. As a result, the franchise has continued to have faith in him as their captain.
However, his slow batting in the middle overs has been a concern. Against Mumbai Indians in their opening game, Rahane scored 36 off 18 balls but only managed 31 off the next 22 balls.
“Those who are talking, they don’t understand the game. I think they want me to play in a different way. They didn’t expect Ajinkya Rahane to improve his game so much. So, I am happy they are talking about me, whether it’s positive or negative.”
“I am really happy they are talking. Let them talk. But batting-wise, with partnerships, it’s been amazing. We have a very good partnership in Mumbai.”
Regarding his slow innings against SRH, Rahane said: “You guys know what I am doing. Just one bad innings. It wasn’t a bad innings, but sometimes as a batter, you don’t get the rhythm, you don’t get the flow.”
Rahane further stated that the powerplay demands a fearless approach, even with occasional failures.
“For six overs, you always look to go for fearless cricket. Play fearless cricket with freedom. At times, you will struggle. That’s okay. It’s important to accept that. But I know what I am doing.”
“I know what I did in the past, and I trust myself. Whoever is talking about me, let them talk.”
KKR had a strong start with Finn Allen smashing 28 off seven balls, but a lack of partnerships and two costly run-outs, involving Angkrish Raghuvanshi, proved costly.
“But, no excuses. We had a good start. In the first six overs, we were 78, but we lost that extra wicket, Greeny’s (Cameron Green) run out. Apart from that, we were doing really well.”
“The middle overs were crucial for us, and we needed those partnerships from the set batters. But that didn’t happen. SRH executed their slower balls really well.”
Rahane further backed India’s ace spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who had struggled, and was restricted to just two overs. Jharkhand’s Anukul Roy bowled the sixth over.
Chakravarthy returned figures of 0/31 after being hit for 25 runs in his opening over.
“Varun is a team player. He is going through a phase where he needs the support of everyone. Sometimes, bowling just two overs can help a player. We want Varun to regain his confidence throughout the tournament,” Rahane said.
“Sometimes, you have to see the mentality of the bowler, what he is going through. It’s not compulsory to bowl four overs. If he’s struggling, you have to accept that. But I know what I am doing.”
Anukul, who was the player-of-the-series for Jharkhand in the SMAT with 18 wickets and 303 runs, was also praised.
“He is playing because he did really well in the Mushtaq Ali. He was the Man of the Series in the Mushtaq Ali. He can bowl in the powerplay and he can bowl in the middle overs,” Rahane said.
KKR, who are yet to open their account, face Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants in their next two home games in less than a week, and Rahane said they would have to regroup and perhaps find an extra batter.