Ajinkya Rahane welcomed severe social media backlash on Monday after the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain won the toss and chose to bat first under overcast conditions during their match against Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens. Having lost both of their matches so far, pressure is on KKR and Rahane to get back to winning ways.
After the practice session on Sunday evening was cancelled, there were forecasts of rain already on Monday as both teams arrived at the stadium under heavy cloud cover. However, Rahane’s decision to bat first after winning the toss surprised many.
With a the pitch having a little bit of grass on it, Xavier Bartlett made most use of the conditions by taking the wickets of Cameron Green and Finn Allen. Expectedly, the rain came down just after 3.4 overs with KKR’s score reading at 25/2 around 7:50 PM IST.
Rahane’s decision didn’t go well with the KKR fans on social media as they called for the Indian batter step down from leadership. “Ajinkya Rahane you better step down from captaincy. Pitch under covers, you won the toss and you elected to bat first ???? Even a small boy would have bowled first in such conditions. We are done if Rahane is in the team. KKR management don’t destroy the legacy of KKR please,” one user wrote.
“Record speaks a lot about Captain Ajinkya Rahane… Don’t know what KKR Management saw in him and made him Captain the Defending Champions…” another wrote. “Ajinkya Rahane traumatized cricket today. Everyone wants to know, why he chose to bat when he knew that rain will interrupt the game,” another said.
‘Interesting thought process’ – Ravi Ashwin
Not just the fans, even Rahane’s for India teammate Ravichandran Ashwin was also taken aback by the KKR captain’s decision. Calling Rahane’s thought-process interesting, Ashwin pointed out the inexperienced bowling attack of KKR. “When you know it’s going to be a rain affected game, with an inexperienced bowling attack at your disposal, you choose to bat first.
“Interesting thought process,” wrote Ashwin on X. Earlier at the toss, Rahane reasoned the dry nature of the wicket for opting to bat first. “We are going to bat first. Looks a good wicket, little bit on the drier side but it’s a very good wicket and slightly less covering of grass as well. That’s the reason to put the runs on the board first,” Rahane told toss presenter Danny Morrison.
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