After a dismal start to their IPL season, the Kolkata Knight Riders expected favorable conditions as they returned to their familiar home field. However, preliminary indications indicate that the Eden Gardens’ surfaces might not quite suit their tastes.
Although there was no direct criticism, head coach Abhishek Nayar’s cautious approach and the KKR thought tank’s body language suggested some concern, even as he firmly closed the door on citing conditions as an excuse.
On the eve of their game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Nayar was repeatedly questioned about the pitch. He even joked that he might be “siphoned off for something else” by the anti-corruption unit, but his message remained consistent: KKR will deal with what is on offer without any “excuses.”
“I think the beauty of our sport is the fact that it is unpredictable. When you’re explaining cricket to someone who doesn’t know the game, you tell them that if the sun is out, the pitch is good; if the clouds are in, the bowlers are in. That’s the beauty of the game — you want the unexpected,” PTI quoted Nayar as saying.
In their championship defence, KKR finished ninth last season, which was their lowest finish since 2009. They lost four of their seven games and only won twice at Eden, raising concerns about circumstances that didn’t seem to suit their spin skills. Despite a total makeover of the squad and coaching staff, such worries seem to still exist.
Along with curator Sujan Mukherjee, captain Ajinkya Rahane and Nayar spent a significant amount of time examining the pitch on the eve of their first home game. Rahane even lay down to evaluate the surface. The pitch had a greenish tint that increased the uncertainty once it was wet and gently rolled.
“Just because there’s grass on the pitch, it doesn’t change how we look at the game. We as players and support staff have to be professional enough to take what’s put in front of us and run with it. Those are circumstances — sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.”
Prior to speaking with the media, SRH head coach Dainel Vettori stated that he was taken aback by the green cover and anticipated little turn for the spinners. However, Nayar stated in a circumspect manner that he was not shocked and attributed the green top to the unusual rains.
“Am I surprised? I’m not, because there has been rain around over the last couple of days. It’s not easy for the groundsmen as well. So whatever is prepared for us, we’ll try to make the most of it. We’ll try to play the kind of cricket we can without any excuses. At the end of it, our honest judgement is that whatever we get, we try and put our best foot forward. No excuses.”
The difficulties of KKR to obtain surfaces that complemented their spin skills had become a talking point during the previous season, and the problem still doesn’t seem to be resolved.
“I honestly feel, having coached at different levels and been part of setups where pitches are developed, it’s not always easy. Every pitch, every franchise, every state has its own soil, and it’s not simple to curate surfaces, especially with back-to-back matches. There is a science to it, but when the weather doesn’t support you, it’s not always possible to prepare the pitch you want,” he said.
While distancing himself from historical narratives, Nayar quietly admitted that teams are limited in their ability to dictate situations.
“I don’t know what the narrative was before. For me, the narrative is that when you enter the ground, you focus on what’s in front of you and play accordingly. I don’t like to overcomplicate things because our players are used to different conditions – they play red-ball cricket, they play Ranji Trophy. As a team, you don’t really know what your advantage is. You can prepare a turning pitch and it can work against you.”
He emphasized that individual skill can frequently overcome conditions in T20 cricket, further undermining the notion of chasing specially designed surfaces.
“Yes, you want preferences, but in T20 cricket one player can change the game – that’s the nature of the format. For me, a true pitch that supports both batting and bowling is a good cricketing surface because viewers enjoy it and players enjoy it. As long as it’s neutral and not one-sided, I’m happy. A pitch that is purely for batters or purely for bowlers — that’s just my opinion — but a good, fair pitch is what matters.”
The pitch in question is the same one that was used in the T20 World Cup quarterfinal between New Zealand and South Africa on March 4, when 170 was chased down in less than 13 overs.
This home phase of four games could determine KKR’s season, with three consecutive home games scheduled in a week, another on April 19, and a month-long hiatus due to the approaching Assembly elections.
