The tug of war over the Eden Gardens wicket will not settle in a hurry. With Kolkata Knight Riders in a spot of bother after losing four of their first seven matches, the team management may once again wish for a wicket that suits their needs.
One can expect some fireworks at the news conference on the eve of Monday’s clash against Gujarat Titans since the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is unlikely to submit to the franchise’s demands.
Given the Knight Riders’ abysmal showing against leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on a batsman-friendly surface in Mullanpur on Tuesday, where they were rolled over for 95 in pursuit of the Punjab Kings’ 111, will they again seek a spin-friendly wicket at the Eden for Monday’s encounter? Particularly, with the Titans having Rashid Khan and the impressive R. Sai Kishore leading their spin attack.
In their last home game on April 8 against Lucknow Super Giants, a high-scoring match which the Knight Riders lost by four runs, captain Ajinkya Rahane made a publicity jibe at Eden curator Sujan Mukherjee after citing that the pitch offered no assistance to their spinners.
In Mullanpur, Varun Chakravarthy said during the innings break on Tuesday that the surface was a 190-run wicket. Yet, KKR couldn’t overhaul the paltry Punjab total after being comfortably placed at 62/2 in the eighth over.
Unlike the Chepauk pitch in Chennai, the Mullanpur wicket was better for batting. The pitch wasn’t slow, the ball never turned square or kept perilously low. What Chahal did was just use his experience a little bit to get the ball to drift and utilise the flight. Those were good enough to rattle the Knight Riders’ batting unit.
The Knights have demanded conditions which suit their first-choice spinners, Varun and Sunil Narine. But will their batters be able to negotiate Rashid and left-armer Sai Kishore on a turning track?
The Titans also have all-rounder Washington Sundar in their ranks to boost their spin resources.
Will the Knights exude confidence in their batting unit after such a capitulation on a relatively easy wicket for batters? Barring skipper Rahane and his Mumbai teammate Angkrish Raghuvanshi, the other KKR batters don’t seem to be assured of their abilities, especially in pressure situations and when the opposition bowling has been tight.
It was learnt that the pitch used for the Sunrisers Hyderabad game, which the Knights had won by 80 runs, could be in use on Monday. That pitch was extremely dry and slower, with a little more turn.
“It’s not final yet, but that pitch (for the Sunrisers game) could be used for Monday’s match,” a CAB official said on Wednesday.
Curator Mukherjee, however, didn’t wish to divulge much. “Everyone’s getting to see what’s happening (when it comes to KKR matches). Regarding the pitch, I can only say it will be the normal, usual Eden surface, having something in it for everyone.
“And it can’t be a rank turner, of course,” Mukherjee told The Telegraph.
Given the black cotton soil here at the Eden, preparing a raging turner isn’t easy at all.
In all fairness, it’s the Knights’ batting unit that has bungled in crucial phases in the two losses they have suffered so far at the Eden this season. Against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opener, their middle-order collapse against the left-arm spin of Krunal Pandya spoiled a solid start. In the Lucknow game, wrong shot selection and erring in getting the right batting order were among the reasons for their narrow defeat.
If the Knights lose on Monday, too, it shouldn’t be a huge surprise if a change or two happens in their coaching staff, although the franchise doesn’t usually take such drastic decisions mid-season.
