Ajinkya Rahane confident of bouncing back

The guys who are batting in the middle order are experienced, dangerous and explosive players. They have handled many situations like this in the past, says Kolkata Knight Riders captain

HYDERABAD: Ajinkya Rahane, who led defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders but in a lost cause in the IPL season opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday night, says, he is confident that the batting unit will bounce back.

“The guys who are batting in the middle order are experienced, dangerous and explosive players. They have handled many situations like this in the past. It’s always about giving them the freedom and allowing them to go out there to play their game,” Rahane said at a media briefing here.

---

“When that works out, it looks good. It didn’t work out today and that’s okay, it’s going to happen. It’s a long tournament; we’re going to back every individual”, he said.

Reflecting on his performance with the bat, the experienced campaigner said that for him it was all about contributing to the team.

“Whatever runs I score, it’s always for the team and that’s what matters to me. I would prefer scoring those runs and ending up on the winning side,” he said.

“We have batters who like to go after the bowlers. Quinton de Kock has been a dangerous player in this format. He has scored runs at the top of the order,” Rahane said.

“Sunil (Narine), we all know he had a brilliant season and he’s been doing really well. As a team, we believe that de Kock and Narine can be a dangerous opening pair,” he said. Kolkata Knight Riders take on Rajasthan Royals at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on 26th March.