Dav Whatmore: We misread the pitch
Kolkata coach Dav Whatmore says the team read the pitch wrongly and included four medium pacers in the playing XI against Chennai on Tuesday.
By Aditya Ramachandran
"It was disappointing. I guess we misread the pitch before the game. We picked four medium pacers and the other team had two. Probably, they knew a bit more than us. We need to turn around quickly from one game to the next," he said.
Whatmore also reasoned out that they have to deal with different pitch and weather conditions. "We are dealing with different conditions and different opponents. These things contribute to wins and losses. You cannot blame the format, which is terrific. In a twenty over game, things can change very fast.
The Aussie coach was of the opinion that his team could still make the semi finals.
"It appears we are pushed to a spot. We have two more games to go and we will try our best. But I think, you need to have a pretty decent run rate to be confident of making the semi finals."
"There will be a decent review. We still have two games to go. We need to press hard."
Asked to look back whether Ganguly's slamming act after losing to Bangalore had resulted in Tuesday's loss, the Aussie said, "I think, many a word has been spoken in an emotional situation. But every thing is said in the best interest of the team."
Meanwhile, Chennai player Ravichandran Ashwin, who also the Man of the Match, said there was no hurry in the team approach when they batted.
"I do not think that there was any hurry in them. There has to be a method. I think Suresh Raina proved that. All you require is to be focused in a T20 game and Raina just did that.
"I do not think we are bothered about the next two games. Everybody is up for the challenge. Before the start of Tuesday's game, coach Stephen Fleming told us that it was just another game and to be prepared for the challenge".
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