Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has admitted he sympathises with the Kolkata Knight Riders after Ajinkya Rahane’s team suffered a 32-run loss against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Tuesday.
Ashwin said KKR are low on confidence after getting off to their worst start in IPL history. KKR have lost four out of their five games, with one match ending in a no-result. Furthermore, Ashwin said Varun Chakravarthy is low on confidence as batters are reading him and he needs to come back stronger with the ball.
Chakravarthy returned with figures of 0-26 in three overs he bowled against CSK. The mystery spinner is yet to take a wicket in the ongoing season.
“I am honestly a little sad for KKR. I don’t know where their answer is going to come from. They are looking very, very, grim. Hopefully, there will be some changes after Pathirana comes in. I feel sorry for KKR, and also for Varun, it seems like he is lost. I feel that his confidence is very low, he will have to take a break and work on his bowling. His biggest strength was his mystery, but now people are reading it and beating him,” R Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, CSK posted 72-2 in their Powerplay overs, whereas KKR could only manage 36-2 in their first six overs, and it turned out to be the major difference between the two teams.
“Nowadays, T20 matches are decided in the powerplay. What CSK scored in the power play, KKR only scored half of that. That was the game, and that was the difference. This win will help CSK’s net run-rate,” he added.
The former CSK all-rounder believes there is a message for all the other teams that Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team has a formula while playing at home.
“Now there is a message for all the teams that CSK probably have a formula at home. That is a big message. If they can make their home a fortress, they will become a dangerous side. The next game is really important for CSK, there will be three left-handers at the top, you can’t start with Hosein. Khaleel is also injured, who are you going to bring in for him? Could they go for Matt Short or Ramakrishna Ghosh? That could be a defining point for CSK in this tournament,” R Ashwin opined.
Chennai Super Kings will next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at Hyderabad on Saturday.
