IPL 2021: I will fast-forward KKR's games from now, they have made IPL boring: Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag tore through the Kolkata Knight Riders' batting effort against the Delhi Capitals on Thursday. The former opener said the team has made the IPL 2021 'boring' by repeating the same mistakes in every game. Sehwag even declared that he would consider 'fast-forwarding' the team's upcoming games in the league.
On the Ahmedabad pitch that seemed like a batting paradise, KKR batsmen only collected 154 runs in their 20 overs. A lion's share of these came through the late flourish by Andre Russell (45 off 27).
The top-3 of Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi got off to a good start but failed to step on the gas for the umpteenth time in the tournament. Skipper Eoin Morgan was ineffective, and the gamble of promoting Sunil Narine didn't pay off either.
Speaking to Cribuzz, Virender Sehwag compared KKR's batting to the 'boring scenes' of a movie that deserved to be skipped.
"I can't digest this. Whenever I watch a movie, I fast-forward the boring scenes. From now on, all KKR matches in this tournament will feel a bit boring to me and I will have to watch them by fast-forwarding constantly. They have made it boring for all of us. Because you are making the same mistake in every game. Even when they were chasing, it was the same mistake," said Virender Sehwag.
Virender Sehwag also took KKR's management to task, saying it was their fault for not experimenting more with the batting order even after similar results.
"Fortunately, (Eoin) Morgan made some runs in the last match but the same mistakes were committed on that day as well. I don't think the management is making the right decisions. You can say that you are backing your player etc but you should at least try to make some changes in the batting order to change the results," asserted Virender Sehwag.
In contrast to KKR's innings, DC's batsmen looked at home in Ahmedabad and chased down the total with more than 3 overs to spare. Openers Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan were the chief wreckers as they broke the back of the chase with their 132-run partnership.
"I am still not happy with KKR's batting order" - Virender Sehwag
Suggesting solutions for KKR's batting woes, Virender Sehwag said Andre Russell needs to bat a tad higher in the batting order. He cited Thursday's game as an example of how both Morgan and Narine came before him and went back without scoring even a single run.
"I feel if Andre Russell had come before Eoin Morgan and Sunil Narine, then perhaps they would have scored more runs because both of their wickets would have been saved. He ultimately had to come in the 12th over so at least send him before these 2 batsmen to save their wickets," argued Sehwag.
He added that Nitish Rana should be replaced with someone with a better strike rate at the top of the order.
"I am still not happy with their batting order because Rana is opening and they are not getting the starts they should. Shubman Gill scored good 40 runs but he consumed a bit too many deliveries. Even that's fine but he should have someone with him who can at least carry forward the team's run rate," signed off Virender Sehwag.
KKR have maintained their 5th spot in the points table after this defeat. However, with just 2 wins from half of their league games, their chances of qualifying for the playoffs are looking bleak.