"We need to find a way to be able to fight it" - KKR coach Brendon McCullum admits batters need to work on tackling short balls better in IPL 2022

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Brendon McCullum has conceded that the team's batters need to handle short balls more efficiently to bring their IPL 2022 campaign back on track.

KKR succumbed to their fourth consecutive defeat of the season on Saturday, going down to the Gujarat Titans (GT) by eight runs at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Chasing a below-par 157, the KKR batters struggled against Gujarat’s pacers, who reduced them to 79 for 5 by the 13th over.

Speaking at a post-match conference, McCullum admitted that they knew what to expect from GT’s pacers but the batters could not find ways to handle the heat. He explained:

“With bounce, it can be your friend or your foe, depending on whether you are able to fight it. We need to find a way to be able to fight it and come out with a couple of technical things. Try and use the pace rather than go against it. It was very good bowling from Gujarat Titans. Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal and Alzarri Joseph, they operated really smartly. It’s a fine line. A lot of those balls could have easily been called one for the over, in which case, it would have changed how they were able to bowl. But that’s the nature of the game. Credit to Gujarat.”

Despite the batters failing to chase down a gettable total, the coach was not too harsh on KKR's batting unit. Defending them, he pointed out the positives and said:

“We got 210 in our last game, we got 175 batting first in another. We have to keep in mind that your batting group is your top seven or eight batters as a collective. From where we were, at 40 for 4, it was a pretty good effort to be able to rebuild and then explode with Andre Russell at the end. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough.”

He did admit that there is a kind of a pattern developing where teams are attacking them and getting on top. However, McCullum was quick to assert:

“The confidence in the batting unit should stay relatively high. If we can get across the line in one of these tight games, it will do wonders for us. I still believe that we are good enough to be in the semi-finals.”

After losing five wickets with under 80 on the board, Andre Russell smashed 48 in 25 balls, with the aid of one four and six sixes, to give his side faint hopes of an unlikely win.

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Gujarat Titans’ bowling line-up is very well balanced: KKR coach McCullum

While analyzing the defeat, McCullum admitted that GT have a highly balanced bowling attack with pace, bounce and a quality spinner in Rashid Khan. Asked about the challenge of taking on the Gujarat bowlers, the Kiwi legend candidly replied:

“First and foremost, the Gujarat Titans’ bowling line-up is very well balanced. They have got some real pace, they have got bounce and some left-arm variety as well. You throw Rashid Khan in there, and it’s a pretty good bowling line-up. They probably give a little bit away with their batting with regards to strength because they stack their bowling so much. The way they bowled today, they attacked us where we expected them to - back of a length and around the shoulder and hip region. Unfortunately, we were not able to counter that.”

KKR’s next IPL 2022 match will be against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 28.