22 April,2025 02:16 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ajinkya Rahane. Pic/AFP
After suffering a 39-run loss in the IPL 2025 match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Monday, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Ajinkya Rahane admitted that his side's failure at the top order has been costing them heavily in the ongoing season.
"I thought 199 was chaseable, we came back into the game really well with the ball. You expect good opening starts, but that's what we're struggling with throughout the tournament. We need to learn as quickly as possible," Ajinkya Rahane said in the post-match presentation.
In the run chase of 199 runs at the Eden Gardens, the Knights managed to register just 159 runs for the loss of eight wickets.
Despite the batting failure, Kolkata's skipper has no complaints from his bowlers. He stated that the bowlers have been improving every game.
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"The pitch was a little slow, but when we were bowling we thought something below 210 or 200 would be good. We need to bat better, especially in the middle overs. We need better opening starts, no complaints from our bowlers. Every game they're improving."
In the IPL 2025, fielding too has been a concern for Kolkata. Speaking on the side's fielding performance against Gujarat, the 36-year-old said, "Fielding is something in our control, if you can save 15-20 runs that's always better. It's all about attitude, but the guys are working hard. This format is about being brave as a batter, you can't think too much about the past, just learn from the mistakes and take your chances, have a positive mindset."
"If you think about getting out, you will get out. Instead, you should think about scoring runs or hitting boundaries," Rahane concluded.
Despite batting failures from KKR, skipper Rahane garnered 50 runs. His knock came to an end in 36 balls, including five boundaries and a maximum. Except for him, no other KKR batsman was able to score more than 30 runs.
In the first innings, Impact Player Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana and Andre Russell were able to claim one wicket each.
KKR will lock horns with Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their upcoming IPL 2025 fixture on April 26 at the Eden Gardens.
(With PTI Inputs)
