IPL 2016: KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir not worried about Mumbai Indians defeat

Gambhir believes the loss against Mumbai Indians was a one-off

Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir is confident that his side can recover from the loss against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday and make a strong comeback in their next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, IBN Live reports. 

Playing in front of their home crowd at the Eden Gardens, KKR put up a commanding total of 187 batting first, but were outdone by the Mumbai-based franchise, with skipper Rohit Sharma continuing his golden run at the venue with an unbeaten 84 off just 54 balls while England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler also chipped in with a well made 41.

Giving due credit to Sharma, Gambhir said that the loss was due to the quality of the opposition on the day and believes the defeat to be a one-off. 

"One game ... you cannot judge a team just by one game. I think we were very convincing in the first game (against Delhi Daredevils). Obviously, we could not defend 187. Sometimes, you need to give opposition credit as well. Mumbai played really smart cricket. They chased the target very well," Gambhir told reporters at the press conference ahead of tomorrow's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

"I think they were very measured in their approach. They did not go really hard throughout the 20 overs. Rohit Sharma anchored the innings. You got to give credit to the opposition as well," he said.

Gambhir is confident that his side can get back to winning ways, starting Saturday, and is confident in his side’s abilities to score big and defend totals.

"As I said, we are a quality side. We got a quality bowling attack. If we can put that kind of runs on the board, most of the time, we will end up defending it. There is still a long way to go," Gambhir said.

Spin is undoubtedly the biggest weapon for Gambhir with Brad Hogg, Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav heading the attack for KKR in their opening two matches. That has meant the once-indispensable Sunil Narine and Shakib-al Hasan missing out on both occasions. 

When asked about the possibility of Narine featuring in the game tomorrow, Gambhir said that he was open to all ideas but it was something that is yet to be decided. 

"I have not thought about it. We will sit down tomorrow and see how it goes. Obviously, that is an option. That is an option, any captain would want to have, especially playing (Broad) Hogg and Sunil together. It is quality, not only quality, attacking bowling as well where you can take wickets. It's an option and a great option to have," he said.