Star all-rounder Andre Russel’s form in the ongoing season of the IPL has blown hot and cold, with his 15-ball 21 on Monday in the 39-run loss to Gujarat Titans was his season’s highest score so far. However, KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo brushed off concerns about the veteran all-rounder’s fading prowess.

“Russell is an experienced and a successful player. When he walks in to bat every time, there are only 14-15 deliveries left. So, the work that needs to be done is tough. We need to give him a chance to finish like he is accustomed to doing over the years for KKR. We need to back our finishers and allow them to finish games,” Bravo said in the post-match presser.

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“The finishers have had a lot of success in the past so it’s important to try and back them. There’s a fine line between backing a player and trying to come up with the best combination that we can try that could give the team the spark that it’s missing. So, it’s something we have to discuss as a group and then look forward to the next game,” he added.

Chasing a target of 200 runs, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane’s half-century went in vain as his side eventually fell short in the contest. Reflecting on the match, Bravo said, “We didn’t score enough runs. Credit to our bowling group, they did a fantastic job restricting to them under 200 and really gave us a chance at the halfway stage. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the start we wanted in the powerplay and faltered in the end.”

Shedding some light on the tactical decisions that led to the talented young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi batting at number nine, Bravo shared, “We didn’t start the game for him to bat at number nine but the way game panned out, eventually, he ended up there. We’re one of those teams that are blessed to have quality left-handers and right-handers in our top order. So, we try to use that to the best of our ability, especially when the opposition has quality spinners. Unfortunately, Angkrish had to keep sliding down the order.”

Highlighting the young batter’s positive performances throughout the season, Bravo added, “He is one of the better players in the setup in terms of the runs scored this season. However, after the powerplay, we knew they (Gujarat Titans) were going to come up with their left-arm orthodox and leg spinners. So, we always wanted to have that left-right combination.”

Crediting the opposition for the approach, Bravo said that there was no issue with the pitch as the other team also played on the same surface. KKR had earlier been at loggerheads with the Eden pitch curator for refusing to give them a spinning track.

“Nothing is wrong with the wicket. I wouldn’t come here to talk about the wicket. I think both teams play on the wicket and, you know, we didn’t play a good game of cricket. So definitely if we don’t play in the three facets of the game, good, and the other team play better, more likely they will win. So I’m not having anything, nothing is wrong with the wicket,” he said.

“So I just felt that they play better than us. They win key moments and their batsmen bat in the, the guys who bat in the first three, you know, they both score half centuries. So I think that was the difference,” he added.