Chakaravarthy blames misread surface for KKR's loss

We could have assessed the pitch better: Varun Chakaravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Varun Chakaravarthy says misreading the pitch contributed immensely to their downfall against hosts Chennai Super Kings.

The pitch used for the game on Monday behaved differently compared to the ones used for the first two games.

KKR managed only 137/9 and CSK chased it down in 17.4 overs.

"When I saw the wicket, it appeared to be a flat one. But the way it behaved was totally different," said Chakaravarthy in the post-match media interaction.

"We could have assessed the pitch better because it was very slow initially. It was tough to connect the ball, but I felt 160 would have been a par score.

"Also, there was a lot of dew. The last over that I bowled to (Shivam) Dube made a lot of difference since the seam was very wet, and I couldn't grip the ball much," said the mystery spinner.

The seven-wicket defeat on Monday was KKR's first loss of the season.

Chakaravarthy failed to get a single wicket, finishing with figures of 0/26, but he was the most economical of the lot.

"We have plans for every batsman, but the most important thing is to execute them. In every team, some batters are going to dominate, and you have to find a way to counter them," he said.

CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad too felt strokeplay was tough on the surface.

"The wickets in the last two games were really good. It came on to the bat really well, and we kept playing our shots."

"(In this game), the ball was slightly holding in the second innings, and there was some amount of dew as well. I believe the sudden climate change, with a lot more humidity and dew played a part," said Gaikwad.