Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Chandrakant Pandit on Friday said there was nothing wrong in the Eden Gardens pitch as he took the blame for failing to exploit the home advantage in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).
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Following their away win against Chennai Super Kings on 14 May, KKR skipper Nitish Rana had remarked that every team except theirs had done well on home ground in the IPL. Two-time IPL champions KKR are on the brink of elimination after losing four of their seven matches at Eden Gardens.
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Rana’s comments had triggered a blame game between KKR and the hosts Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). But Pandit said they never blamed the pitches they got here.
“I think you people have misunderstood it (Rana’s comments). Home advantage means when we play at home, we would like to win,” Pandit said on the eve of their match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
“It’s not a question of pitches or anything else. I’m talking about winning the game, and it’s unfortunate that in spite of having home advantage, we have not been able to win many games that we played here.”
A big win on Saturday might not be enough for KKR as they will have to rely on other teams’ results to go their way for an improbable playoff berth.
Asked whether they were unhappy with the pitches being offered to them, Pandit said: “The pitches have changed dramatically over a period of time everywhere.”
“If you go to Wankhede or any other stadium, pitches have changed or (are) behaving differently. Nobody can guarantee how they will behave in a particular game. Many teams have not been able to take the home advantage in this tournament.
“I’ve been coaching for so many years, probably I’ve seen people, captains, coaches, who want to take those home advantages… still they were not able to win the game.
“I gave you a simple answer. We should have taken advantage of the matches we played here because we were playing at home. It’s sad that we were not able to exploit the home conditions.”
Another reason for KKR’s floundering campaign is the form of India all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who has struggled with a niggle and played just 10 matches this season.
Thakur, who is in India’s World Test Championship final squad, has bowled just 19 overs this season and bagged five wickets. In some matches, he has played only as a batter.
“We were not clear on Shardul’s roles. He has performed well whenever he (has) got a chance. On this very ground, he played a match-winning innings (78 vs RCB). Consistency goes up and down for any player. The role has been decided for every player and they are very much aware of their roles.
“I’m very confident about my team and they are playing as a good unit; it’s unfortunate that we were not able to produce those expected results to get straightaway into the playoffs and win the trophy.
“I’m happy that the team is gelling, looking good as a unit. We hope to win tomorrow’s game as well,” he said.
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