‘Surprised that Shreyas did not bowl him…’: Jaffer says ‘one or two overs’ from KKR part-timer would’ve helped Russell | Cricket

Leggie Wanindu Hasranga on Wednesday scythed through Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) top-order before veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik held his nerves to help Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) notch up their first win of the ongoing IPL 2022. Chasing a modest 129, Bangalore got off to a poor start with Tim Southee and Umesh Yadav removing openers Faf du Plessis (5) and Anuj Rawat (0). Umesh, playing against his old franchise, caused further damage by plucking the prized wicket of Virat Kohli, leaving Bangalore tottering at 17 for three. 

Sherfane Rutherford then rescued the innings as he put on crucial stands with David Willey and Shahbaz Ahmed. Needing 17 off last two overs, Harshal Patel smashed two fours, while Dinesh Karthik (14 not out) blasted a six and a four in the first two balls to take Bangalore home.

Also read: CSK’s Dwayne Bravo 1 wicket away from surpassing Lasith Malinga in biggest bowling record in league’s history

Defending a humble total, Kolkata needed a bit of magic and Nitish Rana’s twin-strike in 2018 instantly pops into one’s mind. Rana had picked wickets of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli off successive deliveries in the 15th over. Did Shreyas miss the trick by not handing the ball to the part-time spinner?

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer believes Rana could have bowled against left-handers Rutherford and Ahmed, with Varun Chakaravarthy being used later against right-handers.

“I was surprised that Shreyas Iyer did not bowl Nitish Rana when there were two left-handers there and Chakravarthy was clearly struggling against them. One or two overs from Rana would have meant that Russell wouldn’t have had to bowl. He could have bowled Venkatesh Iyer earlier if Russell was struggling. Things could have been a little bit different if he had saved Chakravathy’s over there and used it for right-handers,” Jaffer told ESPNCricinfo.

Jaffer further evaluated Chakaravarthy’s bowling performance and said the tweaker didn’t toss it up in the air with his length being on the shorter side. “Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee made a match out of it by getting RCB 17/3 in the powerplay. KKR would have had a better chance if Chakravarthy had bowled better.”

“It feels like Varun Chakravarthy struggles a bit bowling to the left-handers. He started bowling from around the stumps and then came over the wicket, but his length was on the shorter side. It helped the batters to pull him. He was probably scared to throw the ball in the air or in front of the batters. Had he gone for 20-25 runs or had taken a wicket at that stage, it would have been interesting,” he added.

The Faf du Plessis-led Bangalore unit has registered their first win of the season and now they will take on Rajasthan Royals in their next match on April 5.