Former India opener, Virender Sehwag blasted the Kolkata Knight Riders team after their loss to Delhi Capitals on Thursday in Ahmedabad for repeating the same mistakes game after game. He even said that he would fast-forward KKR matches as they have made it ‘boring’ for all to watch.
The Knight Riders lost their 5th game in 7 matches as Dehli chased down the target of 155 runs comfortably with21 balls to spare after Prithvi Shaw’s blitzkrieg of 82 runs off 41 balls set up the chase.
Virender Sehwag believes that the management is erring in its decisions tactically and should look at a change in the batting order, if not the personnel, as KKR’s batters once again flattered to deceive, and needed another Andre Russell rescue.
“I can’t digest this. Whenever I watch a movie, I fast-forward the boring scenes. From now on, all KKR matches in this tournament will feel a bit boring to me and I will have to watch them by fast-forwarding constantly.
“They have made it boring for all of us. Because you are making the same mistakes in every game. Even when they were chasing, it was the same mistakes,” Virender Sehwag said while speaking to Cricbuzz.
“Fortunately, (Eoin) Morgan made some runs in the last match but the same mistakes were committed on that day as well. I don’t think the management is making the right decisions. You can say that you are backing your player etc but you should at least try to make some changes in the batting order to change the results,” he added.
Not happy with their batting order: Virender Sehwag
The 42-year-old suggests changes in the batting order where the openers have batted with extra caution, resulting in pressure mounting on the middle-order.
Virender Sehwag reckons Nitish Rana’s position and approach as an opener needs addressing, while he also opines that Andre Russell should have batted ahead of Eoin Morgan and Sunil Narine, both of whom registered ducks.
“I am still not happy with their batting order because Rana is opening and they are not getting the starts they should. Shubman Gill scored good 40 runs but he consumed a bit too many deliveries. Even that’s fine but he should have someone with him who can at least carry forward the team’s run rate.
“I feel if Andre Russell had come before Eoin Morgan and Sunil Narine, then perhaps they would have scored more runs because both of their wickets would have been saved. He ultimately had to come in the 12th over so at least send him before these 2 batsmen to save their wickets,” Virender Sehwag asserted.
With just 4 points in 7 matches, and the top four distancing themselves from the bottom half, Eoin Morgan’s side has one foot out of the playoff race. They will next take on the high-flying Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday.
Also Read: Watch: Shivam Mavi Grabs Prithvi Shaw By Neck After The Latter Smashed Him For Six Fours In An Over