Finch: 'It was bizarre to see KKR merely looking to nudge the ball around'

Aaron Finch and Cheteshwar Pujara have both voiced concerns over Venkatesh Iyer’s passive approach during Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) failed run chase of 199 against Gujarat Titans (GT), highlighting a lack of urgency and intent from the middle order.

Coming in at No. 4 with KKR at 43 for 2 in the sixth over, Venkatesh struggled to find any fluency. He eventually fell for a 19-ball 14 without hitting a single boundary, unable to assert himself against the GT spinners—particularly Sai Kishore, who dismissed him.

“You have to show intent to take on spin,” said Finch on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out. “You can’t expect to hit a boundary or six if your mindset is just to tap it around for singles. His approach was just baffling—it was like watching someone play without any real purpose.”

Despite boasting a deep batting order—Angkrish Raghuvanshi came in as low as No. 9—only captain Ajinkya Rahane made a meaningful contribution, scoring 50 off 36. Raghuvanshi, used as an Impact Player, was shuffled down the order as KKR opted for a left-handed Venkatesh to counter GT’s spinners. However, Pujara questioned whether Venkatesh had been given clear instructions.

“Sometimes, the conditions can be tricky, and a batter might look to rotate strike,” Pujara explained. “But when there’s a timeout, that’s when the coaches and support staff step in to reassess. If the message was to just knock it around against Rashid [Khan], that could explain his approach. But if not, then he didn’t fulfill the role he was sent in to play.”

KKR were coming off a shock loss against Punjab Kings (PBKS), where they failed to chase a modest target of 112. At 62 for 2 in that game, they were comfortably placed before collapsing to Yuzvendra Chahal.

In this match, KKR were 68 for 2 after ten overs with the asking rate climbing to over 13 runs per over. Finch felt they misread the chase completely.

“They had nine proper batters—so you expect them to go hard upfront,” Finch said. “Try to stay ahead of the rate while the pitch is still playable. But they just let it drift. The game was over by the tenth over. It was strange to watch them just tapping the ball around when the rate was soaring. It looked like they were more concerned about not getting blown away, aiming for 160 rather than 200.”

“It felt like they’d mentally accepted defeat,” Finch added. “It was a really poor batting performance—just a baffling innings from a team with so much depth.”

Pujara also pointed out shortcomings in KKR’s bowling effort. Despite visible turn on offer, KKR conceded 198—more than they should have, according to him.

“This wasn’t the kind of pitch where you aim to chase 200,” Pujara said. “There was enough turn, and they could’ve restricted GT to 180. If you’re giving away more than 10 an over in the last ten on that surface, you’re always behind the game. You need at least 90 on the board in the first ten overs when chasing that kind of target.”

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