Former Indian fast bowler, Ajit Agarkar reckons that there is no need for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), need to change to misfiring opening combination just yet and expects them to persist with Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill for their upcoming match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Saturday.
Rana has been in a decent form with the bat but Gill is yet to prove his worth in the IPL 2021. The duo has managed starts of 53, 72, 23, and 1 so far in the tournament with Rana scoring 164 runs at an average of 41.00 while Gill has only amassed 69 at 17.25.
KKR still has the option of promoting Sunil Narine up the order to replace Gill. The West Indian all-rounder was KKR’s preferred opener since 2017 with him scoring 771 runs at a staggering strike rate of 168.34. But Agarkar, who spent 3 seasons at Kolkata, still doesn’t think that KKR should make changes to their opening combination.
ALSO READ: Preity Zinta Finally Gets Something To Smile In Her Quarantine
During a chat on ESPNCricinfo, Ajit Agarkar said, “Not yet needed (Narine on top. They (KKR) have got really two good players (on top). Narine can be the floater, which he always is for them. Shubman Gill is okay, he needs to get more runs. He looked good in that one game against Chennai, he has missed out otherwise. He is a terrific player, and he is your future.”
He further added, “If you are going to give up on someone after four games, you are never going to help your team. Nitish Rana had a decent tournament so far. So, I don’t think why they should change it. There is always that option, but in my opinion, if Sunil Narine is the floater, it is always good for Kolkata Knight Riders.”
Agarkar is of the opinion that KKR shouldn’t be chopping and changing their lineup too much and urged them to play collectively as a team.
Ajit Agarkar said, “It’s just that they need to do better, to start playing better as a team. Not just replacing one or two players at the top. I think, collectively, they have not been good enough.”
ALSO READ: Chahal Complaints To Hesson For Not Getting Credit For His Catches
KKR currently standing at 7th place on the IPL 2021 points table with a couple of victories from 4 games and will next face 8th-placed RR in Match 18 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday evening.
