Thaindian News

Chennai, April 12 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders coach Dav Whatmore sought to shrug off skipper Sourav Ganguly’s outburst saying his team was keen to “react the right way” and win the match against the Chennai Super Kings here Tuesday.
Facing a barrage of questions on Ganguly’s public ticking-off following the defeat to the Royal Challengers Bangalore over the weekend, Whatmore put it down to the skipper’s emotional reaction to the dramatic collapse.

“We have a more important, small meeting and important training session for tomorrow’s match. We as a group do talk within the closed doors and do not reveal outside that room. Whatever we do, we do in-house. It is not for public consumption. KKR is one of the good franchisee,” he said at the pre-match media conference.

He said the playing eleven would be finalised Tuesday. “I cannot give the formation yet. We have not even looked at the wicket. We will give the team for the match tomorrow,” he said.

On the team’s morale, Whatmore said: “We have spoken individually to a number of boys. We are okay and intact. We have identified the issues and address them with the individual players.”

Meanwhile, South African all-rounder Albie Morkel hinted at the possibility of his playing for the Chennai Super Kings after recovering from an injury.

“I might be back in the team. I missed the Mumbai match as I was injured in the Rajasthan Royals game. I was asked to bowl and bat at the nets today. I might find a place in the team tomorrow,” he said.

Looking at the opposition, Morkel identified Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum as the danger men in the Knight Riders team in view of their explosive batting while the likes of Ajanta Mendis and Shane Bond were capable of doing considerable damage.

“Kolkata is a balanced side and Chris Gayle is a dangerous batsman. As a bowler, the very thought of bowling to Chris, you will not sleep. He could take the game away in a couple of overs. We need to restrict both Gayle and Brendon (McCullum).

“Their bowing is not as strong as their batting. Of course, they have Shane Bond and Ajantha Mendis and they are world-class bowlers. If Super Kings and Knight Riders happen to go to the final, both the teams have possibilities of winning the title,” he said.

On the team’s approach ahead of the match, Morkel said: “We are treating tomorrow’s match as a final game in the tournament. We have to win every game to ensure our progress to the semi-final. We are not unduly worried about the net run rate, but we concentrate on winning all the remaining matches to earn the spot.”