Gambhir backs his players under any situation: Yusuf Pathan

Kolkata Knight Riders registered a crucial win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore last night. One of the vital cog in their emphatic win was middle-order batsman Yusuf Pathan. The big power-hitter from Baroda showed yet again what he is capable of. He remained unbeaten on 60 off just 29 balls as Kolkata Knight Riders won the game convincingly by 5 wickets. Yusuf’s knock was embellished with 6 fours and 3 sixes.

After the match, Yusuf said that they had belief in their side. They knew that if they hang around till the last over, they will be over the line. He credited Andre Russell for taking the pressure of him when he was settling in. “We knew if we stuck around and played our shots, the target will not be too difficult to chase. At one point, when I was setting myself up, Russell played really well, taking the pressure off me. So that was very important that we played for each other,” quoted the middle-order batsman.

He further said that it was important for the middle-order batsmen to spend time in the middle. The openers have been doing the bulk of the scoring for the Knight Riders in this season so far. But Yusuf stressed that the other batsmen are always up for the challenge if need be.

“It was an important thing for us, since you know when opening batsmen do well, middle order gets very little time in the middle. The batsmen batting in the middle and lower order feel the pressure of not getting much opportunity. But a good thing for us is now everyone is clicking. In the coming matches, this will give us great confidence,” Pathan said.

“We are professional cricketers and we know that when we play in Kolkata, our openers might play 15 overs and we might not get a chance to bat at all, but in the knockouts, if we qualify, our services might be needed again. So yes, we are a confident unit now, and ready to face any situation,” he added further.

Speaking on skipper Gautam Gambhir, the senior Pathan was all praise for the KKR leader. He admitted that it is important for the captain to believe in the players and back them in all situations. And as he quoted, this is something that Gambhir has been doing really well for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

“Gambhir is a very good captain and he believes in, and backs his players under any situation,” Pathan said. “If you noticed today, Piyush (Chawla) gave away some runs early on in his first two overs, but Gambhir trusted him and gave him the ball again. And see, he (Chawla) picked up wickets later on. It is important for us players that your captain backs you all the time. The coaches we have also played a big role in keeping us motivated. All the coaches are in the dugout when we are batting and are always involved.”

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