By CricketCountry Staff
After getting off to a decent start scoring 45 runs in just six over, Rajasthan Royals lost quick wickets which slowed down their scoring in the middle overs. Shakib Al Hasan struck twice with wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Shreevats Goswami, conceding a mere 17 runs in his quota of four overs.
Published: Apr 14, 2012, 12:55 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 14, 2012, 12:55 PM (IST)
In the five editions of IPL, Brad Hodge has been part of three teams, Kolkata Knight Riders, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Rajasthan Royals © Getty Images
By CricketCountry Staff
Kolkata: Apr 14, 2012
Rajasthan Royals (RR) player Brad Hodge felt that his team fell ten runs short after they posted a target of 132 on a slow pitch against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday at the Eden Gardens. “Probably 140 would have been better. This is a pretty average wicket, but [we were] probably ten runs short. Couple of wickets in the middle and you never know,” he was quoted by the tournaments official website.
After getting off to a decent start scoring 45 runs in just six over, the Royals lost quick wickets which slowed down their scoring in the middle overs. Shakib Al Hasan struck twice with wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Shreevats Goswami, conceding a mere 17 runs in his quota of four overs. “It stopped our momentum in the middle. He got two wickets back-to-back. Whenever you lose back-to-back wickets that hurts. I wouldn’t say it was the difference, but it certainly put pressure on us.” said Brad Hodge referring to the spell of Shakib.
In context of his batting position at No. 6 Hodge said, “I just do my job. I just get told what to do and I just do it the best that I can. So far, I have batted at 4, 5, and 6. I just want to contribute to the team, help out Rahul [Dravid] and the team wherever I can. We just have to wait and see what’s in store.”
After starting their IPL 5 campaign with two consecutive wins the Royals were found wanting against Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their last two matches. Hodge felt that it would be tough to turn things around despite this being early stages of the tournament, “Road trips were always going to be hard; Mumbai, here and then Bengaluru – that’s three tough matches. If we had got one or two wins out of that, we would have been right in the mix. We need to regroup, get to Bengaluru, and put up a really good performance. Generally, it’s a good wicket there and so it should be a good, close contest.”
In the five editions of IPL Brad Hodge has been part of three franchises, Kolkata Knight Rides, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Rajasthan Royals. “The most enjoyable as a batsman so far were Kochi and Rajasthan. Both were at par. As a batsman, you don’t want to bat on this wicket [Eden Gardens] everyday of the week. Rajasthan, I’ve really enjoyed since I’ve been here. I like what I see; it’s a good atmosphere and a really competitive side. I fit right into the team quite nicely. Enjoyable experience all round. “
