“He might not have been fit enough” - Rahmanullah Gurbaz unsure of why Shardul Thakur did not bowl against GT

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz stated that he was unsure as to why all-rounder Shardul Thakur did not bowl in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday, April 29.

Picked in the playing XI for the game that was held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Thakur came into bat at No. 3 but was dismissed for a duck. He did not bowl a single over as GT romped home to a seven-wicket victory while chasing 180.

At a post-match press conference, Gurbaz was quizzed about the bizarre ploy to include Thakur in the playing XI and then not give him a single over to bowl. He replied:

"If you are not fit enough, then you will not play. It might be that the team doesn't need him to bowl. The captain knows it better. The coach and management know better than me. I can't say anything on this. This might be a special plan. They might have discussed it before the game. He might have liked to bat in the top order.

"He might not have been fit enough to bowl. I can't say anything on this. Coaches and captain know better than me.”

Promoted to No. 3, Thakur tried to go after Mohammed Shami but was brilliantly caught by Mohit Sharma.

The all-rounder has so far featured in six matches in the ongoing edition. He has claimed two wickets at an average of 68.50 and has scored 101 runs at a strike rate of 183.64.

---

“I can’t say Rashid is easy” - Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Even as KKR went down to GT, Gurbaz was among the few positives for them, smashing 81 off just 39 balls with the aid of five fours and seven sixes. He was particularly severe on his Afghanistan teammate Rashid Khan, who ended up with figures of 0/54 from his four overs.

Opening up about his assault on the GT leggie, Gurbaz said:

“I can’t say [batting against] Rashid is easy. For everyone, he is difficult. He is one of the best. But, I had a simple plan against him - if he bowls a loose ball to me, I will go for it. That was my simple plan to build my innings.”

After a decent start to their campaign, KKR have now lost five of their last six games. Asked about the team’s plans going ahead, the aggressive batter said:

“We should try to get the momentum back. We played really well at the start and won some matches as well. But sometimes luck does not work. Everyone is working hard, 100 percent. We tried out best, but the end result was on their side. We can’t do anything on that.”

KKR's next match will be against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 4.