I don’t know how to play a switch hit, my game is too conventional: Gautam Gambhir

After playing so well in the first phase of the IPL this year, Kolkata Knight Riders are in a spot of bother. Their qualification for the playoffs, which once looked like a walk in the park for them, received a severe jolt as they lost to Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday. KKR, Kings XI Punjab, Rising Pune Supergiant and Sunrisers Hyderabad are fighting for the available three spots in the final four as Mumbai Indians have already qualified.

Despite five losses this year, KKR have looked the best team along with Mumbai Indians this year. Their success is largely attributed to some fine leadership of Gautam Gambhir, who has also blossomed with the bat at the top of the order. Gambhir in an interview opened up and spoke about how IPL 2017 has gone by for KKR.

His strike rate this season has been a notch above his overall career strike rate. Asked about whether he has made a conscious effort of trying to be positive, Gambhir said it depends on the situation and the partner he is batting with.

“You ought to start by feeling positive, especially in those first six overs, when you can cash in a lot. And after that, depending on how your partner is batting and what kind of form he is in and what total you are chasing or planning to set as a target, you decide who bats through and who plays the aggressor. At one stage Robin Uthappa, fortunately, had been hitting the ball really well and taking a lot of pressure off me. So I could be the aggressor in the first six and then maybe try and bat till the 15th over to try and set a platform for the lower middle order to take over. So your partner helps you decide what kind of role you want to perform,” said the KKR skipper in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.

Gambhir by his own admission is not a stats man. “I don’t even know what my strike rate is this IPL. You are the first one to point that out.”

Chris Lynn, a middle order batsman otherwise, was pushed to open the innings this year and the results are there to be seen for everyone. In 4 games, the Australian has managed to score 259 runs at 86.33 and has a steep strike rate of 186.33. Gambhir said that he wanted to get the most out of Lynn hence decided to open with him this year.

“When we decided to play Chris Lynn this year, we thought we needed to get the best out of him, and the best way was to make him open. Yes, there was this thought that why do we fix something which is not broken. Me and Robin have done really well as an opening pair, but I always thought it is not about the individual. It is about where you can get the best out of an individual. Lynn had to bat in the top order so Robin had to go down. What Lynny did in the first two games was unbelievable. We don’t have that much firepower with Russell not being there, so we wanted to go really hard up front,” he said.

Gambhir then promoted Narine to open the innings in Lynn’s absence, which was again a master move by the former Indian opener.

“It was unfortunate that Lynny got injured. We wanted to continue the same momentum. Obviously it was difficult to go as hard as Lynny was going. Sunil batting at No. 8 or 9 wasn’t giving us anything, especially as he was not able to face many deliveries. So if we could promote him and he could give us whatever little bit of momentum in the first six overs, that could help Robin as well – coming at No. 3, he could take his time. It helps me take my time as well, rather than both of us going hard straightaway. I could settle down in the first two or three overs while Sunil plays the aggressor.”

Switch hits are getting very common these days and a plenty of batsmen attempted the shot this year at the IPL. On being asked why Gambhir never tries the shot himself, Gambhir played it down with a typical straight bat as he does on the cricket field.

“I don’t know how to play a switch hit. I have never attempted it even in the nets. I have never reverse-swept either. My game is too conventional. That is how I was brought up. I don’t even sweep that much.”

KKR will play their last home game on Saturday against table-toppers. They need to win this game to directly qualify for the playoffs.