New Delhi, April 13 (IANS) Reflecting on his starts and overall approach, Finn Allen admitted that while he has made promising contributions in the powerplay for Kolkata Knight Riders, converting them into bigger scores remains a work in progress, stressing the importance of balancing aggression with consistency in T20 cricket.

KKR have had a tough start to their campaign this season. They went down by six wickets to the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium and, upon returning home, suffered a crushing 65-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Their third match against the Punjab Kings was abandoned due to rain, which gave them a solidarity point. They suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Lucknow Super Giants in their last match. Leaving them with just one point in four matches.

“It’s the nature of T20 cricket, trying to take the game on. It’s only been a couple of games, so you can’t judge too much. Personally, I’ve had good starts in the first two games, but I would have liked to kick on more. Preparation has been good and hopefully it’s around the corner,” said Allen.

“It’s easy to get caught up in thinking you need to go harder, especially with an extra batter in the side. But for me, I know I can score quickly when I’m going well. It’s about not getting carried away and finding the balance between giving yourself a chance to get set and playing positively.”

The team has been losing the bowlers even before the start of the tournament. KKR lost Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asked the franchise to release him from the squad, and their prime pacer Harshit Rana was also ruled out due to injury

The Kolkata Knight Riders batter also credited Shane Watson for his calming influence and guidance, adding that the team’s preparation has been solid as they look to execute better and get their campaign back on track in the upcoming clash against Chennai.

“I’ve had a lot of experience with Watto (Shane Watson) now. He’s got a world of knowledge and a lot of experience. He’s really good to talk to when it comes to batting and stays calm. He understands how to bring me back when things are too well or not well.”

Five-time champions CSK, captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad, will take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Chennai on Tuesday evening, after getting off the mark on the points table with a 23-run win over Delhi Capitals (DC).

On mindset ahead of the game against Chennai, Allen said, “Every team in this tournament is very strong, so we have to be at our best in every game. Preparation has been consistent – good communication, good meetings and solid planning. We’ve been doing the right things and are just waiting for it to click.

The last game went down to the wire. If we win that, we’re flying. So, we take the same mindset into the game against Chennai – get that win and get our season underway.”

–IANS

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