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Nobody expected it to be so one-sided

Jacques Kallis

Kolkata Knight Riders against Rajasthan Royals was always going to be a ‘big' game but nobody expected it to be so one-sided — least of all the players.

But that happens sometimes and it has no bearing on what will happen the next time the teams meet.

International cricket is different, and even inter-State competitions, because they are played over a much longer time-frame.

But when we meet the Royals again next time then our nine-wicket victory will only serve as motivation for their revenge rather than intimidation.

Not one of the 10 teams will believe it cannot beat any of the others at this stage of the tournament. In fact, that will still be the case during the final round of matches before the semifinals. Anybody can beat anyone — and anyone can lose to anyone.

Key to success

The key to success is maximising your advantages and minimising your disadvantages. Planning is very important but ‘over planning' can cause problems.

It is important to remember that, for all the game's complexities and subtleties, Twenty20 cricket still comes down to scoring more runs than the opposition!

Test cricket requires you to take more wickets than the other side but the IPL is, basically, all about runs. How you score them, however, is still the cause of much misunderstanding and confusion for supporters and spectators.

Players with the ability to hit the ball out of the ground continue to grab the headlines and are always the crowd favourites. But look at Gautam Gambhir's innings on Friday — 75 not out off just 44 balls, and only one six!

Good players know how to score runs at a quick rate without having to hit the ball in the air all the time.

Sixes are a lot of fun – we all enjoy hitting the ball for six — but scoring two or one from every ball will always beat the batsman who tries to hit every ball into the crowd.

Under-rated player

It was fantastic to have Brett Lee and Shakib Al Hasan in the XI for the Royals game.

While Brett has a well-deserved, and well-earned reputation as a match-winner, Shakib must be the world's most under-valued cricketer. There is no doubt, however, about his skills being appreciated at KKR.

I've been fortunate at the start of IPL-IV and have contributed in all three disciplines — I've made runs in all three games so far, I've taken some catches and I'm doing my bit with the ball.

I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. But there is a long way to go and I'm aware of that.

Knight Riders, like Royal Challengers, is a ‘glamour' team. Perhaps all the teams see themselves as glamour teams, I'm not sure.

But I'm very excited about helping KKR do justice to its status.

Hawkeye Communications

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