Guilty of not playing Sanju in KKR

Zak if he was feeling any side-effects of engagement but decided against it. I was only too happy to win the toss.

Most teams are happy to chase under lights as ball comes on better during that time of the day at Eden Gardens.

Till about a few years back, Sanju Samson was with KKR. I was guilty of not giving him an opportunity. Each time he scores against KKR, I feel he is trying to prove a point.

CHANGED APPROACH

My coach Sanjay Bharadwaj tells me that Sanju spent some time with him at Delhi’s LB Shastri Club. And by Sanjay sir’s assessment, Sanju has rebooted his game. Sanju was smooth in his batting.

We didn’t bowl well either. Later on, we tightened things up and bowled better lines. Top four Delhi batsmen falling to lbws is a testimony to that.

Our best efforts came in the latter half of DD’s innings where we switched our bowling plans. From wicket-taking deliveries, we were looking to bowl dots and then go for the kill. Rishabh Pant and Chris Morris’ dismissals were more out of this strategy than aggression.

Delhi were 130-odd for 2 in 15 overs and looking set for around 180 or more. I am proud the way our bowlers pulled it back.

For a change, Sunil Narine had an off day in batting. I hope that keeps him on the toes as we take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.

I am hitting them well and so is Robin Uthappa. The best part is that the team is in a wonderful frame of mind.

Our post-match celebrations are getting wilder. On Friday, Yusuf Pathan was at his best. I sometimes wonder who is more fun -- Yusuf or his son Ayaan!

In KKR, we have this practice where we pick our own ‘gamechanger’.

This is a synonym to ‘man-ofthe-match’ award. This is my way to keep the camaraderie thread going.

While the biggest contribution already gets man of the match, game-changer award recognises small but significant performances. The award carries a cash prize and lots of cake on the face. As long as we’re winning don’t mind the cake.

Sunrisers are a tough side to beat. I think with Shikhar Dhawan coming good and Kane Williamson fitting in the combination, they look a formidable unit. Besides, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan present their own set of challenges in bowling. I think this is a game where we need more than a few ‘game-changers’.

MY COACH SANJAY BHARADWAJ TELLS ME SANJU SPENT SOME TIME WITH HIM, AND BY HIS ASSESSMENT, SANJU HAS REBOOTED HIS GAME.