We gave it away with too many loose shots

All the Knight Riders will reflect on Tuesday’s game against Chennai as one we should have won. Close games are a regular and inevitable part of T20 cricket and often, it hurts more when you lose them than when you are beaten more easily.

It was a great bowling display, one of our best in the last couple of seasons. Brad Hogg is a phenomenon, an inspiration to players half his age. It’s an amazing thought that he is playing against and alongside many players who weren’t born until three or four years after Hoggy made his debut. Piyush Chawla was also outstanding, proving yet again that a good spinner is better value in the shortest form of the game than a good seamer, especially in helpful conditions.

Adding to our disappointment was the fact that we made such a positive start after the early loss of Gautam Gambhir. Robin Uthappa was at his destructive best and with Manish Pandey at the other end, a small run chase seemed well under control. It was important to get ahead of the game against the seamers and the new ball because it was always going to be harder to score against the spinners with a softer ball, and that’s exactly what Uthappa did. Everything felt like it was going according to plan.

As always, it’s important to pay respect and give credit to the opposition, but in this case we were the architects of our own demise. There were too many loose shots and soft dismissals at a time when we needed to be strong and ruthless. The guys are understandably hurt by the defeat and determined to avenge it.

It’s not often the chance for revenge presents itself two days later, but the boys are only too pleased to have the chance to play the same team in Eden Gardens on Thursday. It’s an extremely busy period for the tournament so there may well be a couple of changes to the starting XIs in both teams, particularly among the fast bowlers.

Nobody struggles to bowl four overs in a T20 match, even on consecutive days, but it’s not so much about physical rest as mental freshness. It’s harder for the batsmen if they are facing different bowlers who are full of energy rather than the same attack. We are fortunate to have Morne Morkel and Pat Cummins to choose from.

Chennai are used to winning and they often find a way to come back from difficult situations — but so do Kolkata. I’m anticipating a mighty rematch.

— Gameplan/Hawkeye