Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane was pleased with his knock at the top of the order against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in their opening Indian Premier League (IPL) game on Sunday, March 29.
Opening the innings with Finn Allen, the KKR skipper scored 67 off 40 balls, in an innings that included three fours and five sixes to take the 2024 champions to 220 from their 20 overs.Â
Rahane was pleased with his individual contribution following the work that he has put in to improve this T20 game and bring it up to modern standards. The 37-year-old is not worried about his critics as long as he continues to perform as he did on Sunday.Â
“I’m really happy the way I’m batting at the moment. I’m not here to show anyone how talented I am. Let them watch, let them talk, but I’m really happy the way I have improved my game in the last two-three years in the white-ball T20 format. It’s important to grow as a cricketer as a batsman, and that’s what I’m trying to do. People will keep talking and let them talk,” Rahane told the reporters after the game against MI.
Despite Rahane’s best efforts with the bat, KKR suffered a six-wicket defeat to the hosts, MI, thanks to their 148-run opening stand. Rohit Sharma scored a 38-ball 78 while his opening partner Ryan Rickelton hit 81 to guide the five-time champions home.Â
Rahane felt like the 220 KKR put on the board was an excellent total. However, it could have been a lot more if not for Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance with the ball in the death overs. The right-arm seamer conceded 19 runs in his last two overs, including giving just eight runs in the 18th over.Â
“We all thought initially 220 was a good total, we were on the path to get around 235, 240. But those two overs from Bumrah made a lot of difference. I know why he’s such a great bowler,” he added.Â
KKR will want to return to winning ways in their next outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday, April 2, at the Eden Gardens.Â
