I Had to Be Out There and Keep Calm When Wickets Fell, Says Raina

Raina smashed 84 off 46 to help Gujarat Lions beat KKR by four wickets.

Suresh Raina-led Gujarat Lions beat Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets. (Photo: IANS)

Captain Suresh Raina on Friday said Gujarat Lions need to work on its inexperienced bowling department to be a force to reckon with in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Raina led from the front by smashing 84 off 46 as Gujarat chased down a challenging 188-run target to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets at the Eden Gardens.

It was an important game for us and we bowled pretty well. We came back pretty strongly. I think the batting looks good, but we can still improve on our bowling. We have been giving away lots of runs in the first six overs. If we are looking to finish on top, we need to minimise our mistakes.

Suresh Raina

Also Read: Suresh Raina’s 84 Off 46 Trumps Uthappa’s 72 as Gujarat Beat KKR

Raina praised his colleagues and said it was team effort that sealed the easy win for the visitors in the crucial match.

Then, me, Baz (Brendon McCullum) and Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) had a good partnership. It was important to play proper cricketing shots, there was no need to play cross- batted shots.

He added:

Overall, it was a great team effort. It was important for me to be out there and keep calm when wickets fell.

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir said the explosive start by Aaron Finch and McCullum helped Gujarat Lions’ middle-order chase down the target.

I thought we batted really well, but they are a dangerous side. I thought the total was enough, especially with the attack we have, but the way Finchy and McCullum batted, they removed the entire pressure from the middle order. The wicket was still a bit sticky in the first innings, but Lions are a batting-heavy side.

Gautam Gambhir

"We still have a lot of positives to take from the match. We need to give credit to the opposition at times," he said.

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