IPL 2021: "I will be waiting eagerly for the opportunity to smash cake on your face after your quarantine ends" - Nitish Rana sends birthday wishes to KKR opener Shubhman Gill

Kolkata Knight Riders opener Shubhman Gill turns 22 today. On this occasion, his KKR teammates sent him special birthday messages through a video on the franchise's official Instagram handle. Gill is currently in quarantine at the team hotel in Abu Dhabi, so he could not get together with teammates to celebrate his birthday.

Due to this quarantine situation, KKR players sent wishes to Gill via video. The likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana, Sandeep Warrier, Gurkeerat Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, and Varun Chakravarthy spoke in the video. Nitish Rana had a special message for his opening partner. He sent out a friendly warning by saying:

"Don't think you are saved because you are in quarantine. I am not going to let you go that easily. We all are waiting eagerly for the opportunity to smash cake on your face after your quarantine ends. We are just waiting for you. Finish your quarantine soon, and come out. Happy Birthday mere Jaan!".

KKR shared the following post on Instagram and captioned it:

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲…. 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲𝐲…. 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 🎂 🎉 Folks, send in your wishes for our birthday boy 💜💛@shubmangill #KKR #Cricket #HappyBirthdayShubman #IPL2021

You can watch the video below:

Most of the KKR players, including Dinesh Karthik, have finished their quarantine and recently began training in the nets. Shubman Gill will also join them soon in the coming days.

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KKR is known to play aggressive and positive cricket and I want that to come through in the second half: Dinesh Karthik

KKR vice-captain Dinesh Karthik was hopeful about the team's chances in the UAE leg of IPL 2021. He also opened up about the path forward and stressed the need to win at least six games of the remaining seven to reach the next stage. On his expectations for the upcoming second half, he said:

"We want to win 6 out of 7. It's as simple as that. If we want to qualify, 6 out of 7. As a team, that's what we will be looking to do. Take it one game at a time, but try and win 6 out of 7. Most importantly, KKR is known to play aggressive and positive cricket, and I want that to come through in the second half. I still think the team spirit is good. As fans, all I want to say is keep supporting us. We'll try and play the brand of cricket that will make you very proud."

The two-time IPL champions are currently seventh in the IPL points table with just four points from seven games. They will commence their campaign in the second phase of the IPL with a clash against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 20 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.