Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has said that their team focuses more on showing positive and correct intent after his match-winning innings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He stressed that aggression doesn't mean tonking every ball for six but understanding and using the conditions in one's favour.
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00:00How did you feel about Eden's pitch and did you feel the same in the rest of the matches as well?
00:09We have won, so yes, but it was a good competitive pitch.
00:13To be honest, we bowled really well.
00:15We had a par score on Eden, definitely.
00:18And we have bowled really well.
00:20I think we have used the conditions of the pitch well.
00:23I never believe that the pitch should be like this or like that.
00:30We are professional cricketers, so obviously we will adjust to it.
00:34But yes, we will get what we want in our home, so it will be great for us.
00:39Next, anyone?
00:42Arun Chatterjee from Midtjai.
00:44You know, but those last few runs that he was in his quarters, it was crucial.
00:52Yesterday, mentor Bravo was saying something about, he will be aggressive.
00:58But thoda, you know, we are little, what is the word?
01:04Smart.
01:05Smarter, yeah.
01:06So, was that implemented today or just one of those days where everything went wrong?
01:10See, I think the basic meaning of aggression is showing a positive intent.
01:15And we play cricket, you know, it's very important for us to show positive but correct intent.
01:20You know, if we are 50 for 6 and I still go and tonk everything, that's positive, but that's not correct.
01:25So, if we are to call ourselves champions, if we are to call ourselves smart cricketers,
01:30it's very important for us to read any situation and then, you know, react aggressively.
01:35See, aggression does not mean tonking every ball for sixers.
01:38It's about how you understand the conditions, how you are able to maximize the conditions in your favor.
01:43And that is what aggression actually is.
01:46And that is what we as a team want to play, you know.
01:49We don't want to be the team that, you know, when we hit it, we score 250 and when we don't, we get out for 70.
01:56We don't want to be that team.
01:57We want to be a team who understands the pitch and the conditions quickly
02:01and assess what is the par score on that pitch and always try to make 20 runs above par.
02:05That is what aggression for KKR means.
02:21I think the mindset has always been the same.
02:24To go out there and understand the conditions quickly and, you know, play accordingly.
02:28Maybe I was rushing a little in the initial two games.
02:33But again, that's a learning, right?
02:35All I want to remind myself is what I was thinking during my innings and I would want to replicate that.
02:40For me, it has always been to keep things simple.
02:43Because my batting position is such that the situations that I will play will keep on changing.
02:48Someday, I will be batting in the third over.
02:49Someday, it will be the 11th over.
02:51On some days, I won't go to bat at all.
02:53So, I think I always need to understand what mindset I am carrying.
02:56And if I am able to replicate that in all the games.
03:26So, how did you plan this thing? What was the process? What was the talk you had with the team?
04:27It's not right to look at the bowler and play.
04:31You just have to look at the ball and plan to play.
04:33You have to understand what field the bowler has taken and what ball he can bowl.
04:38This is called being proactive.
04:40So, Rinko and I had a very clear communication that we will make a position quickly and play.
04:44And I am happy that in that over, despite some good balls, I was able to take 21 runs.
04:49So, I am very happy with my innings.
04:57So, it wasn't a two-match run.
04:58There was pressure.
04:59Did the pressure get released today?
05:01Because a lot of things were going on.
05:03You tell me, did the pressure get released, sir?
05:05The pressure will be released when...
05:07Look, I am saying this again and again.
05:10After starting the IPL, it doesn't matter what happens to 20 lakhs or 20 crores.
05:13A young boy in our team is playing for the English rugby team.
05:16We all played together just because...
05:19Money does not define what you play in the team and how you play.
05:23I know this question comes a lot.
05:25Obviously, high payment and expectations.
05:28But I am a player of the team who wants to contribute to the victory of the team.
05:33Sometimes, there will be such tricky situations where my job will be to play something over and take it out.
05:38Even if I play that, even if I don't make a run, I have worked for my team.
05:41That does not mean that I am the highest paid player.
05:43So, I have to make a run in every match.
05:45It's about the impact.
05:46So, I want to do that.
05:48And look, I won't lie, there is a little pressure, sir.
05:51You guys talk so much, so obviously...
05:54No, good wishes.
05:55Good wishes.
05:56So, there is pressure.
05:57But the pressure is about how I am winning the team.
06:00And what impact I am making.
06:02The pressure is not about how much money I am getting or how many runs I have to make.
06:06That's never been the pressure on me.
06:08Krish?
06:09Hi, Nitish Jaish from Cricket India.
06:11As the last 3-4 overs, obviously, you guys accelerated and you got the score you got.
06:16But how much of your choice of shots, acceleration,
06:19and also knowing that I cannot let these balls go to waste because
06:23Raxal has been slipping and I cannot just eat up God's balls and not get those sixes which
06:27someone like Raxal or Ramanjith could have added.
06:29Can you discuss that?
06:30Dictate sometime on how you are attacking the last few overs
06:33knowing that you cannot chew up balls.
06:38I think I earned that spot.
06:40Me and Rinku.
06:42Because we did play a few balls.
06:44We tried to milk it around.
06:45Understand the condition.
06:47It was never easy for a new batter to go out there and hit.
06:49And to be very honest, even if Raman and Raxal would have come in the 18th over,
06:53they would have had to take a couple of balls to understand the nature of the surface.
06:57I had that luxury.
06:59Rinku had that luxury.
07:00We had taken a few balls and then it became easy for us.
07:03But I think the frame of mind that you are talking about,
07:07once we hit the 17th over, we just understood that we can tee off now.
07:10We have taken enough time.
07:11And the execution is what we were planning.
07:15Not how to go about our business.
07:16We had to hit because we have three more batters coming in.
07:19But in order to hit and in order to execute the plans properly,
07:22it was important for us to spend time out there.
07:24And that's what we did.
07:31It's a question about one of your opponents.
07:33He has saved you from the dugout.
07:35And I think you have played in this one over.
07:37How did you answer Shami?
07:41He is a great bowler.
07:43Obviously, I am a big fan of Shami Bhai.
07:46But I kind of knew what he was going to bowl.
07:48But again, his execution was really nice.
07:52To be very honest, the cricket fan in me is very happy to see Shami Bhai back and running in full flow.
07:57But to play him, obviously, I played him in the Ranji Trophy as well.
08:00It was extremely challenging to play him with a red ball.
08:02To be very honest, I had to be on toes every ball.
08:04But here in T20, the bowler also has a mindset that if I err,
08:10then I can get hit for a boundary.
08:12And that's what we can make use of.
08:13But it actually was really good to see him back and good to face him as well.
08:18We'll take one last one.
08:21SRH also had an exclusive batting lineup.
08:24Both of you are very potentially huge batting sides.
08:29So, at the midpoint, though you got 200,
08:33how comfortable was the team on that total that this can be defended?
08:39This will be defended.
08:40We are not comfortable with any score when it comes to SRH.
08:43Obviously, the way they play.
08:45Even after scoring 220, sometimes we feel that they can chase it.
08:48But we always knew that a team which is ultra-aggressive,
08:51a team which always looks to score runs,
08:53always carries the risk of getting wickets.
08:57And that's what we wanted to exploit.
08:58We have Vaibhav Arora who bowls in the powerplay to pick wickets.
09:02And he did that.
09:03And on his day, if he comes good, he could have got one more.
09:05So, I think it is a risk-reward.
09:08A team that hits every ball also has the chance of going down early.
09:13And that's what we wanted to exploit.
09:14So, the talk was just to pick early wickets and then see how the game goes.