IPL 10: Kallis all praise for Raina

Tags: Indian Premier League 2017, 23rd Match - Kolkata Knight Riders v Gujarat Lions,at Kolkata Apr 21, 2017, Gujarat Lions, Kolkata Knight Riders, Suresh Kumar Raina, Jacques Henry Kallis

Published on: Apr 22, 2017

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Kolkata Knight Riders went down to Gujarat Lions on Friday as Suresh Raina came up with a scintillating 84 off

Kolkata Knight Riders went down to Gujarat Lions on Friday as Suresh Raina came up with a scintillating 84 off just 46 balls. KKR put up a challenging 187 runs on the board, but it was far from enough.
Jacques Kallis, the head coach of KKR, was all praise for the manner in which Raina batted. "Every player has got his place. Some can rotate strike, some can hit big. Raina is a good all-round player," Kallis said and added, "I don't think we bowled as well to him as we could have done and should have done. When good players get off to a good start, it's difficult to contain them. Raina played really well to hold the innings together."
Kallis admitted to Cricbuzz that his bowlers weren't at their best, but defended them as well. "We don't become a bad bowling unit after just one game. We will have some good game plans in place," Kallis said.
“We knew they would come out firing. They are a dangerous side with dangerous players. They batted really well under pressure, chasing that total down. But I still feel we could have defended that total we got. It was certainly not one of our best bowling performances. We picked up a few wickets after the rain break. They managed to get a couple of partnerships going," Kallis added.
KKR's next clash is against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday. Kallis urged his side to raise their game for the big challenge. "We still have a lot of confidence. The boys are playing with freedom and playing well. We haven't been able to put up a complete game so far, but when we start doing that we will be a tough side to beat," Kallis said.

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