 | « Back to article | Print this article |
PHOTOS: Here's what makes KKR's Gambhir a confident captain
Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir was a picture of positivity after winning the opening match of the Indian Premier League season 7against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.
- Kallis, Narine shine as KKR thrash Mumbai in IPL-7 opener
Gambhir said his team will end up "winning most times" if it puts up a big score.
The seventh edition of the Indian Premier League kicked off in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday with Kolkata Knight Riders recording an emphatic 41-run win over Mumbai Indians after Jacques Kallis (46-ball 72) and Sunil Narine (four wickets) made heavy contributions.
"We've got a very good bowling attack, and if we put runs on the board, most of the times we'll end up winning," a confident Gambhir said on Wednesday.
"A quality batter like Kallis knows when to accelerate and if either of us stays till the 15th over we can get a good score.
Also, we have Morne's (Morkel) pace and Narine and (Piyush) Chawla in the spin department and Vinay's (Kumar) is pretty good at the death as well," he added.
'I worked hard on my cricket to help Kolkata this season'
Opting to bat, KKR rode on Kallis and Manish Pandey's 64 to post a competitive 163 for five, before restricting Mumbai Indians to 122 for seven at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, with Narine returning match-winning figures of 4/20.
KKR's innings was built on a 131-run second-wicket partnership between Kallis and Manish Pandey (64).
Man-of-the Match Kallis was happy to strike form after taking a break from cricket.
"I had a good few months off. It's nice to catch up with friends and family, but I worked hard on my cricket to help Kolkata this season.
"There was more bounce this season which suited. Kept the good balls out at the start and cashed it in the death," Kallis said.
The South African veteran was full of praise for Morkel and Narine.
"Morne started great at the start with the ball and Narine was brilliant as well. I probably haven't got too many years left and I'm just looking forward to having some fun in the middle."
'We still have 13 more games and I hope we come back strongly'
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma said there was a lot to learn from this defeat.
"It's disappointing… first game of the season. Lots to learn from this game. We will take the positives from this game, although there weren't many. I hope the guys stay positive and enjoy each other's company. It's a long tournament," Rohit said.
Crediting Kolkata’s batsmen, Rohit said, "They batted really well. We didn't get a wicket when we wanted and with eight wickets in hand they went after the bowling. Malinga bowled really well and I hope the guys can turn it around as quickly as possible.
"There was a fair bit of grass on the wicket, there was a bit of bounce. Odd balls were stopping and coming, so it wasn't a true wicket. It played well but we didn't bat well. We still have 13 more games and I hope we come back strongly."