Kolkata Knight Riders are off to a difficult start this season, still searching for their first win and with just one point on the board, which came from the washed-out game against Punjab Kings. The three-time champions have looked out of sorts, with neither the batting nor the bowling unit clicking as expected. Their struggles with the bat have drawn particular attention, especially the way Sunil Narine has been used. Ajinkya Rahane‘s captaincy has also come under the scanner.
Once a proven match-winner at the top of the order, Narine has been pushed down the order this season, limiting his chances to make an impact. The move has raised questions, given his past success as an opener. Their big-money signing Cameron Green hasn’t quite lived up to expectations so far, putting his spot under scrutiny. At the top, Finn Allen has provided brisk starts but hasn’t managed to turn them into substantial scores.
Manoj Tiwary has spoken about his former team KKR’s current struggles, highlighting the need for better leadership in the dressing room during tough runs. He also backed Narine to open the innings again, pointing to his impact at the top in title-winning campaigns.
“As a leader, it is important to display leadership qualities that even if you are losing, you have to make sure of the atmosphere in the dressing room and the hotels, make sure that there is not much discussion about how the team are losing games. I still think that Sunil Narine should open for KKR. Because when KKR became champions, he had made 488 runs. The advantage of him at the top is that when he fires, he plays at a strike rate of 180-200, and if he gets out, he does not waste too many balls,” Manoj Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.
“Raghuvanshi can score at a strike rate of 180-200”
He further urged KKR to promote aggressive intent at the top, backing an opening combination of Finn Allen and Sunil Narine, while also suggesting space for Tim Seifert. He also pointed out that Angkrish Raghuvanshi has been steady but tends to slow down after a start.
“So, open with Finn Allen and Sunil Narine, and then be flexible after that. I also want to see Tim Seifert. I think the batting order will be set after that. We are seeing teams score 90-100 runs in the powerplay, I want to see the same from KKR as well. Raghuvanshi is doing well, but in the end, he gets stuck at a strike rate of 130-140. When there are so many players in the dugout who can score at a strike rate of 180-200, you should give them more balls to play in the innings,” he elaborated.
