Guwahati (Assam) [India], March 26 : Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling coach Bharat Arun has thrown his support behind star all-rounder Andre Russell after his failure in the team's opening game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Russell managed just four runs in KKR's seven-wicket loss at Eden Gardens, but Arun remains confident that the big-hitting Jamaican will bounce back.
"Sport is about failing. You fail more often than you succeed but for a champion like Russ [Andre Russell], it must be weighing on his mind that he didn't perform last game. He is out to prove himself every single game, and we are hoping he comes really good in this match," Arun said in a pre-match press conference ahead of KKR's clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Reflecting on their loss to RCB, Arun acknowledged that the team could have done better but remained optimistic.
"Actually, as a team, we are not too worried about the first game. Of course, winning the opener gives you momentum, but there were a lot of positives. There were also lessons to be learnt--perhaps we could have capitalized better and scored more runs if we hadn't lost wickets towards the end," he noted.
On the bowling front, Arun admitted there was room for improvement but emphasized the team's focus on learning and evolving.
"There's always an opportunity to bowl better, but this team is not too worried about it. We'll take lessons from the last game and try to improve going forward," he added.
With KKR looking to bounce back from their opening defeat, all eyes will be on Russell as he aims to make an impact in their upcoming fixture against Rajasthan Royals.
Coming to their opening match, in pursuit of 175, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli (59*) provided a swashbuckling start to Bengaluru. The Englishman played the role of aggressor, while Kohli was belligerent with the limited set of deliveries that came his way in the powerplay.
With Salt's ruthless strokeplay, RCB raced to 80 at the end of the powerplay without losing a wicket, their second-highest total in the cash-rich league's history.
Throughout the first six overs, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane threw everything up his sleeve at the destructive duo, including mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Salt singlehandedly ripped Chakravarthy apart in the fourth over and hammered 21 runs from his over.
The effortless strokes, which perfectly blended with their approach, ensured RCB remained unscathed in the first six overs.
KKR found the breakthrough, but it was too late to salvage a win. Moments after Salt completed his fifty, he skewed his shot to Spencer Johnson, handing Chakaravarthy his first wicket of the match.
Devdutt Padikkal tried to take on Sunil Narine by ambling down the crease but sent it straight to Ramandeep Singh's hands.
The Chase Master was at work and continued his rich vein of form and brought up his fifty by lofting the ball over cover to find the boundary rope. His name echoed in the Eden Gardens as RCB took a massive step closer towards victory.RCB skipper Rajat Patidar came in, spread his carnage with a rollicking display and raced to a swift 34 before losing his wicket to Vaibhav Arora.
Liam Livingstone (15*) came in to wrap up the things for RCB. He got off the mark with a four, smoked the ball into the stands on the first ball of the next over, and finished things in style with a boundary to seal a seven-wicket win for the visitors.
In the first innings, the hosts didn't have a good start to the 18th edition, as they lost De Kock in the first over itself after scoring just four runs. Right-arm seamer Josh Hazelwood claimed the wicket.
Following the southpaw's departure, the team skipper Ajinkya Rahane came out to bat in the middle along with Narine. Both the batters attacked the RCB bowlers and brought up the team's fifty in the sixth over.
Rahane completed his 50-run mark on the first ball of the ninth over as he slammed a boundary on the bowling of leg-spinner Suyash Sharma.
In the 10th over, Rahane and Narine completed their 100-run partnership in the same over. The KKR franchise lost the second wicket as Narine was sent back to the dressing room after scoring 44 runs off just 26 balls. Rasikh Salam took this wicket on the last ball.
In the 11th over, Rahane was sent back to the pavilion after scoring 56 runs with the help of six fours and four sixes in his innings.
Vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer came out to bat next but was sent back after scoring just six runs. He was dismissed by Krunal Pandya in the 13th over when the team score was 125.
Two runs were scored before Rinku Singh was dismissed in the 15th over on the bowling of Krunal Pandya. The next wicket fell at the score of 150 as Andre Russell was dismissed in the 16th over by Suyash Sharma.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi was dismissed in the 19th over after scoring 30 runs from 22 balls on the bowling of Yash Dayal.
In the last over, KKR lost one more wicket as Harshit Rana when the team score was 173. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side finished the first innings at 174 runs with the loss of eight wickets.
The pick of the bowlers for the visitors was Krunal Pandya, who snapped three wickets in his spell of four overs, where he conceded 29 runs.
Josh Hazelwood took two wickets in his four overs, giving away 22. Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam, and Suyash Sharma bagged one wicket each in their respective spells.