‘Break like this could definitely help’: Manish Pandey says IPL suspension might have helped KKR regain form
Kolkata Knight Riders batter Manish Pandey said that the team were confident that the IPL will resume again so they focussed on training and match preparations even after the league was suspended on May 9 owing to the India Pakistan military conflicts. He also added that the break might help KKR get their mojo back after a fairly torrid season.
“It (the mid-tournament break) doesn’t really change much because as professional cricketers, we know what’s to be done. We definitely knew that the tournament would resume, but we didn’t know how soon. But it was good that we didn’t have a lot of break. We were still in the gym and doing our work on the game. The whole team is here and everyone is ready to go and we are looking forward to having a great game,” Pandey said in the pre-match press conference on Friday.
“But a break like this could definitely help. I am pretty sure guys would have gone back home and seen their videos and tried to work on a few things that they didn’t have the opportunity to do. So, I think it should be a good break. As I said, the only thing I am hoping for is to win the last two games and end on a high,” he added.
KKR will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a must-win match on Saturday to keep their playoffs hopes alive. However, a defeat against the RCB will put paid to KKR’s knockout stage ambitions, but Pandey did not view it as a pressure point.
“You know, nothing much to lose from here. Actually, we just thought we could have had a better tournament as a team. We were discussing that, but nevertheless, we lost a few games in the middle. If you think about those crucial games, you wish now that you had won those games. But yeah, definitely two more games to go. Everybody is wanting to perform,” he said.
(With agency inputs)
