Former Australia captain Aaron Finch has raised doubts over Kolkata Knight Riders\u2019 decision-making in their defeat to Chennai Super Kings, pointing particularly to their approach during a tough run chase. Finch felt that while the franchise tried to introduce some variation into their batting plan, the match-day execution and tactical calls did not add the momentum needed to stay in contention at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly wasn\u2019t pretty. A lot of question marks about KKR, particularly in that run chase. Some of their tactics were very questionable. We praised the decision for Sunil Narine to go to the top of the order. It didn\u2019t come off today (24 in 17 balls), but it was something different. At least they tried it,\u201d Finch said.<\/p>\n
Finch then argued that after the early reshuffle, several other choices failed to generate the momentum required in the innings. He suggested that the batting combination and the way the pairings were used did not create enough pressure on the bowling side. \u201cBut some of the other decisions were a bit strange. And they were never in the hunt. We talked about Rahane and Raghuvanshi batting together, about how that can be such a stalling [factor]. And their partnership wasn\u2019t bad, but there\u2019s still no point of difference in that partnership. They don\u2019t take the bowling on. They don\u2019t get to a point where the opposition captain has to make some serious decisions about reshuffling their team,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The former opener also questioned how KKR are deploying their key players, especially in terms of batting order positions, even with the level of experience available inside the dugout. He pointed to Cameron Green as an example of a role that, in his view, is not aligned with the player\u2019s typical impact in T20 cricket. \u201cWhen you\u2019ve got as much experience in that dugout, you think that they\u2019d be at least making the right calls at the right time. To Cameron Green batting at No. 6, that\u2019s an unusual position for him. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s done that a huge amount in T20 cricket,\u201d Finch said.<\/p>\n
Finch further highlighted the difficulties Green faced, particularly when he had to bat under pressure against spin. \u201cStarting against two spinners [Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad], he only lasted one ball. But that\u2019s his worst nightmare, walking out to bat [against spin], particularly in a run chase,\u201d Finch explained.<\/p>\n
He also addressed the broader idea of selecting players based on auction value rather than match-up suitability. \u201cI don\u2019t think you ever pick a team on price tags. That would be really ignorant to do that. Because buying at the auction is a supply and demand of a skill set that you bring. It\u2019s not about, well, we have to play this guy because we paid this much for him. He\u2019s playing out of position. His best numbers have been at the top of the order,\u201d Finch said.<\/p>\n
Looking for possible alternatives, Finch suggested that Tim Seifert could provide more balance and attacking options higher up the order. \u201cYou\u2019ve got Seifert sitting in the wings, he\u2019s a specialist opener. Cameron Green hasn\u2019t played a huge amount of T20 cricket [recently, because of injuries],\u201d Finch said. \u201cSo you\u2019ve got a guy there who brings a good skill set and really good form in Seifert, coming off a good [T20] World Cup. Who\u2019s got the scoops, he\u2019s got the ramps, he\u2019s got a lot of different options,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Finch concluded by stressing that Seifert\u2019s ability to vary his game makes him difficult to contain, which forces captains to keep adjusting their plans. \u201cHe is a player that you have to do multiple stages of planning for when you\u2019re a captain coming up against someone like him, because he\u2019s got so many different skills. So I think that there is a time when you just have to say, you know what, it hasn\u2019t worked just yet. That\u2019s not to say that it\u2019s done and dusted for the tournament, but I think that it gets to a point where you go, right, we need to rejig our side and rethink about how we\u2019re structuring it up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former Australia captain Aaron Finch has raised doubts over Kolkata Knight Riders\u2019 decision-making in their defeat to Chennai Super Kings, pointing particularly to their approach…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2024: Aaron Finch Questions KKR Batting vs CSK","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Aaron Finch questions KKR\u2019s batting tactics after their IPL loss to CSK, citing poor execution and tactical calls during a pressure chase.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n