‘We need to score really big’

Sunday May 11, 01:01 AM

Mohali, May 11: Taking a cue from the proverb, ‘winners do not give reasons, losers do’, Bangalore Royal Challengers’ skipper Rahul Dravid felt that only winning would help his side come out of the doldrums and nothing else.

"At this position, we only have to win games. We have not played good cricket and there’s no point arguing abot whatever has happened," Dravid said on the eve of their match against King’s XI Punjab here on Sunday.

The former India captain, whose has lost six of the matches played so far, was clearly disappointed with the last match’s result and said it was the batting that needed to improve.

"It has been a below par performance from the batsman and in T20, games change in a matter of a few deliveries. We, as batsmen have to share the responsibility and then hope for our bowlers to do the trick," he said and added, "We have quality in the team but it has not come out in the open completely. I hope we can change that in the next six matches."

The Challengers’s opening combination has been an area of concern from the beginning and frequent changes have not helped.

"We need someone to score really big and with Wasim Jaffer out with a fractured hand, the task of the other openers becomes all the more difficult. We have tried a few players at the top like Bharat Chipli, Virat Kohli, J. Arun Kumar and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who opens the batting for West Indies in ODIs.

So, it is just a matter of time before any one of them will come good," Dravid said. Having lost to King’s XI before in Bangalore, Dravid feels that there are areas which if taken care of could help post their third win.

"To start off, we would not like to lose too many wickets at the top. Punjab are a well balanced side and they bat deep. So, it is important for us to bat really well and for that to happen, we need to have wickets in hand."

Kings XI Punjab’s Mahela Jayawardene said that ace opener Kumar Sangakkara was not 100 per cent fit and whether he will make for Monday’s game will be decided after an assessment by the team physio.

Jayawardene, who captains Sri Lanka, was all praise for Yuvraj and said that the King’s skipper had matured with every game.

"He knows what is to be done and with youngsters in the team, it is easier for him to talk to them at a personal level," Jayawardene said.

Mahela however, was disappointed with his form and confessed that he had not played to the best of his ability and would like to bat with a lot more consistency.

"Personally, I am not satisfied with my performance. I would like to contribute to the team’s success more," he said

The Sri Lankan was surprised by the swashbuckling knocks that opener Shaun Marsh has played for Punjab so far.

"I played against Shaun once in a practice match in Australia before our tour last year but I did not find him so good. But the way he has played in this tournament after sitting out in a few games, it seems he was never out of the side. He has done an excellent job."

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