IPL 8: We played good cricket but Kings XI played a little better, says Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane, opener for Rajasthan Royals, has said that he and Shane Watson complement each other at the top of order, that he likes to bat according to the match situation and that losing to Kings XI Punjab has not affected the team’s confidence.

Rahane and Watson added 95 for the first wicket against Kings XI Punjab after adding 144 together against Chennai Super Kings in their previous game. Rahane went on to top score for RR with 74 from 54 balls while Watson made 45 from 35 balls.

In an interview with the IPL’s official website Rahane said that he and Watson strike is rotated keeping in mind who is playing the big shots.

“We focus on building a partnership and we know that both of us are batting in a good rhythm,” Rahane said.

Further, he adds that they do not set targets before the match, especially if its a slow wicket, as it puts them under pressure. “I told him that if we maintained the same positive intent with which we were batting, through the 20 overs, then we would get 10-15 runs more than what we would aim at otherwise,” says Rahane.

Talking about his intent to score big for the team when in form, Rahane emphasizes on keeping ’things as simple as possible’. “I start from scratch in each innings and play as the situation demands,” says Rahene. He believes that the bowler will commit a mistake at some point of time and anticipating that and being ready makes a difference.

The stand between Watson and Rahane set up RR’s final total of 191 but KXIP tied the score with a four from the last ball of their innings before going on to win the game in the Super Over thanks to some excellent hitting by Shaun Marsh.

Finally, touching on their first loss of the season, Rahane says it hasn’t lowered the team’s confidence and they look forward to dominate again in the coming matches. “In T20 an odd result doesn’t go your way; it is important that as we a team we play all the 40 overs with 100 percent commitment. We believe in commitment, result is the end thing; it is important to put in the full effort.

“Today we played good cricket overall, but maybe Kings XI played a little better and bowled better in the Super Over.”

Rahane also said that the trio of Rahul Dravid, Paddy Upton and Shane Watson decided who would bat for them in the Super Over.

“I think the three batsmen we sent were perfect for the job and all three had the experience of playing in a situation like this. Last year too we had played in a Super Over, so we had an idea. But credit should be given to Mitchell Johnson as well for the way he bowled in a difficult situation.”

you can read the full interview here