T20 2018: Kolkata spinners have been phenomenal, says Shubman Gill

Kolkata batsman Shubman Gill

With ball in hand, Kolkata are making a name for themselves as a side that arrives belatedly into the contest. They had a nightmarish start to a crucial encounter here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday, having conceded 127 in just 12.4 overs. But led by pacer Prasidh Krishna (4-30), Kolkata scripted a dramatic comeback in the last 7.2 overs, which helped them restrict the Hyderabad to a manageable total of 172 for nine.

Shubman Gill, 18, termed this period of play, during which they took eight wickets for just 45 runs, as the turning point in the match. "The way we bowled in the death overs was the turning point. Prasidh bowled really well and all the bowlers bowled really well," he said.

Powerplay problems
With a spin dominant attack at their disposal, Kolkata have been slightly handicapped during the Powerplay with the ball. In their last encounter against Rajasthan Royals at home, they had conceded 68 in the first six overs, before Kuldeep Yadav spun them to a win with a spell of four for 20.

Kolkata's Kuldeep Yadav (left) celebrates the wicket of Hyderabad's Shreevats Goswami with a teammate at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday. Pic/AFP

But Gill shrugged off any concerns about the spin-heavy composition of the side, instead taking refuge in the fact that their bowlers have tended to come back well. "All bowlers have good days and bad. It's Twenty20 cricket. You're bound to get smacked. But the way we are coming back, it's really great. We conceded a few too many in the Powerplay in the last match as well but it's okay, it happens. The way our spinners are coming back is phenomenal," he said. Despite having pulled things back nicely here, Kolkata were up against a formidable total, and an SRH bowling attack that defends totals for a living.

Pitch perfect?
But the 22 yards, which reminded Dinesh Karthik of 'the old Kolkata pitch' at the toss, played surprisingly well, as was evidenced by the ease with which Kolkata coasted to their target. "We initially thought the wicket will spin a little. We thought that towards the end of the match it'll start turning a bit but that didn't happen. The way it played in the first innings, we thought that it's a good pitch to bat on and we can get the score. The wicket played well and it was their decision to bat first."

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