Need to maintain simplicity

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Once again as I write this column on a match day, I have a mixed feeling. I am anxious and glad that I have all of you to talk to. We will leave for the ground in sometime to take on Auckland Aces in our vital game 2 of the Champions League T20 here in Cape Town.
The sky outside my hotel room is clear and blue. I can clearly admire Table Mountain in all its splendour. I hope guys in our group have a similar role clarity and we too stand in a similar splendour during this tournament.
I will soon be stepping out for a team meeting. Any of these meetings immediately after a loss doesn’t need to be a mourning gathering. That is why we ensure that an early tone is set for these team interactions. Today I am thinking of requesting Brett Lee and Sunil Narine to start the talking. Brett is very good with his story-telling and understandably has a bagful of stories given his time in the Australian dressing-room.
Sunil, well, he is a man of few but relevant words. Especially after winning the T20 World Cup I am sure he will have some stories to narrate.
If not from the on-field action then may be from the West Indian celebrations which are fun to watch. More than anything it is a pleasure to listen to his West Indian accent which I call “musical”.
Once they do that, me and the coaching staff will do some plain talking. I think more than anything we just need to maintain the simplicity of our mission and ensure no one gets overawed by the situation.
Like I said earlier, all we need is better application by the batsmen. I am sure things will click sooner than later. We are well equipped with Brendon’s flair, Bisla’s steet-smart approach, Kallis’ solidity, Yusuf’s aggression and Manoj Tiwary’s match-winning abilities.
As for my own batting, I have been hitting the ball well but not being able to convert the starts. It is frustrating but I think I am doing what needs to be done. In Sri Lanka, during the World Cup,
I was hitting a lot of balls in the nets. Here in South Africa the sessions have been no different. I generally have long net sessions. In the middle it is a bit like being a million dollar one mo­ment and abso­lute pau­per the other.
This has not­h­ing to do with any tec­hnical flaw but about setting the mind on course. I am confident of doing it.
The good thing is that our KKR fans are showing a lot of faith. A friend tells me that amidst the festivities, our supporters from Kolkata are optimistic of our good show. And I am informed that one puja pandal is planning to have cut outs of some KKR cricketers and Shah Rukh Khan. While this adulation is flattering it gets intimidating as well. Let’s hope we can live up to the expectations.
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