Our bowling has let us down: Brad Hodge

From the top of the table last year to being at the bottom now, Gujarat Lions have seen both sides of the coin. The Raina-led team hasn’t fired at all this season, losing five out of their seven games so far. Their latest loss came against a visiting Kings XI Punjab.

After winning the toss, and putting Punjab in first, Gujarat bowling was once again exposed. Only Andrew Tye has bowled well for them this season and the rest, including the No. 1 ranked Test bowler Ravindra Jadeja, have struggled. 189 still look gettable, especially because of the fact that the Rajkot wicket is great for batting. Losing Finch, McCullum and Raina within the first 9 overs meant that they were never going to chase that many. Karthik played a solid hand but his 44-ball 58 didn’t get any support from the other end.

189 still look gettable, especially because of the fact that the Rajkot wicket is great for batting. Losing Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum and Suresh Raina within the first 9 overs meant that they were never going to chase that many. Karthik played a solid hand but his 44-ball 58 didn’t get any support from the other end.

To coach Brad Hodge’s own admission, Gujarat Lions are running out of time as they have already played half of their league games. “Today is a very difficult loss for sure, especially after the spirited win in Kolkata,” told media after the defeat. “There can be many excuses – just one day rest and then

“There can be many excuses – just one day rest and then playing a 4pm game. You can come up with a lot of excuses but we just weren’t good enough.

“We let ourselves down in all three departments – batting, bowling and fielding. This one is a tough one and we are running out of time and are playing catch-up. But if these guys do fire, we can put it up like last year.”

Gujarat Lions have not yet identified their best playing combination. They selected James Faulkner for their last game but left him out again in the game against Punjab. With international experience behind him, Faulkner could be the man to play that all-rounder’s role, especially after Dwayne Smith’s dismal season so far. They played Nathu Singh today and the young man from Rajasthan looked promising. Hodge said that the bowlers will have to step up as time is running out.

They played Nathu Singh today and the young man from Rajasthan looked promising. Hodge said that the bowlers will have to step up as time is running out.

“Our bowling has let us down for sure,” Hodge pointed out. “We brought in Nathu Singh and he bowled two good overs. For some reasons he didn’t take the field for the last two overs and that hurt us as well. A couple of guys just weren’t there. The bowlers need to step up.

“There’s no lack of effort from the players or the coaching staff, we work hard and we just need to take that hardwork to the field. Hopefully we do that soon because we are starting to get a bit desperate.”

Jadeja, who sat out in the first two games due to injury, hasn’t performed to his potential which has hurt the Lions. His below average performances with both bat and ball needs to end if Gujarat wants to resurrect their IPL 2017 campaign.

“He hasn’t fired for us with bat or ball,” Hodge said. “He has had a huge couple of months for India and has performed as well as anyone could have. To move from that to this tournament is tough. I think he’ll step up for sure. He’s still finding his feet and we need other players to step up on such days.”

After a four-day break, Gujarat Lions will travel to Bengaluru to lock horns against RCB on Thursday.