Monitor News Bureau
Mumbai :Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Dinesh Karthik said IPL11 was a good campaign with a lot to look forward to.
“Overall, I am very happy. I think it’s been a good campaign for us. We played as a team and have made a lot of good memories. That is what you play cricket for,” said Karthik after Friday’s 14-run defeat in the second qualifier at Eden Gardens here.
Karthik said there are a lot of young players KKR can bank on in the future. “Shubman has been outstanding, the way he fought today just shows his character and attitude. He is special. Prasidh Krishna brilliant, Shivam Mavi is real quality and Nitish (Rana) batted really well,” he said.
He said despite going for 50 in the last three overs, it was KKR’s batsmen who should have finished the job.
“Whenever we have chased down totals, one of the batters has stood till the end. Today that didn’t happen.”
And though Rashid Khan took three wickets including those of Chris Lynn and Robin Uthappa, who fell to what Karthik termed a poor shot, it was Rana’s run-out that was the turning point for him.
“We were about 90/1. If he had pushed on and taken off and we had six-seven wickets in the last few overs, the game would have ours. That was an important and it was a very silly dismissal,” he said. Rana had slipped while attempting a second run and couldn’t beat Rashid Khan’s throw from the deep to wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha.
Showing grace in defeat and repeatedly saying SRH deserved praise for the way they lifted themselves after four successive losses, Karthik said it wasn’t for him to evaluate his first season as captain.
“As a leader, I have tried to keep the team together. We worked a lot on helping each other and to try and empower people. It would be unfair for me to comment about myself. Players need to say how good it was,” he said.
