IPL 2021: Shubman Gill will finish as leading run-getter by the time tournament ends, says David Hussey

KKR`s Shubman Gill. Pic/PTI

After stumbling to a six-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chief mentor David Hussey said that it was not a deliberate plan to play the first six overs cautiously.

Sanju Samson and David Miller played unbeaten knocks of 42 and 24 respectively as Rajasthan Royals defeated KKR by six wickets with seven balls to spare on Saturday here at the Wankhede Stadium. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube also chipped in with 22 runs each to guide Rajasthan to a comfortable victory.

"It was not a deliberate plan to go that slow but full credit to Rajasthan Royals bowlers, they did not allow us to play KKR cricket up front. Under Brendon McCullum as coach, we like to play with freedom and take the game on and provide a highly entertaining brand of cricket, unfortunately we did not do that. We have got the next game against Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad in a few days time," said Hussey while replying to an ANI query during a virtual press conference.

Earlier, a spirited bowling performance helped Rajasthan Royals restrict KKR to 133/9 in the allotted twenty overs. For Sanju Samson-led side, Chris Morris scalped four wickets. For KKR, Rahul Tripathi and Dinesh Karthik played knocks of 36 and 25 respectively.

When asked about Shubman Gill's form, Hussey said: "He is a star player, he took the Test match arena by storm in Australia. He is very specific and he has a great work ethic. All I can say is that form will come and go, class is always permanent. He is one class individual, both on and off the field. Mark my words, he will be one of the highest scoring batsmen by the end of the tournament. He is an absolute class act."

Answering why Andre Russell came behind Dinesh Karthik and Sunil Narine, Hussey said: "It's tough one really, we needed to get a partnership going when Andre Russell was ready to come in. Russell is in his scintillating best when he maybe has three-four overs left. In a perfect world, he can go at number three and score 200 I guess, but wasn't to be. We will look at all strategies going ahead, everything is on the table."

"Lockie Ferguson is at the peak of his powers, he is a class act and he is an excellent player for New Zealand. He bowled well for KKR last year in UAE. He is going to push for selection for the next games. Everything is on the table in terms of selection," he added.

KKR is now at the bottom of the IPL points table with just 2 points from 5 games. The side will next take on Punjab Kings on Monday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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