IPL 2017: Umesh Yadav turned the game for Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab, says Simon Katich

Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Simon Katich on Friday heaped praise on Umesh Yadav for his performance against Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2017.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) assistant coach Simon Katich on Friday heaped praise on Umesh Yadav, saying he felt that it was his bowling that allowed KKR to register an emphatic 8-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in Match 11 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 at the historic Eden gardens Stadium on Thursday. It was KKR’s mystery spinner Sunil Narine who had caught everybody’s attention when he made an impactful opening along with skipper Gautam Gambhir for the side in the match. However for Katich, it was Umesh who turned the tides in KKR’s favour. Full Cricket Scorecard: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab, IPL 2017, Match 11 at Eden Gardens

“It’s never easy to walk straight into the side and turn around the game. Let’s not forget he [Umesh] had a couple of weeks off. Yesterday he basically turned the game for us. At one stage we were looking at a chase of 200 but the key wicket of Glenn Maxwell cracked the game open for us. He always bowled with pace. That wicket of Maxwell yesterday was well-executed. The he got him out caught behind following him was exactly what we had discussed before the game. That sort of the stuff does not go unnoticed from the coaching group. It was part of the planning. That comes with a level of experience he’s probably learned with couple of years of playing for India consistently,” said Katich, as reported by PTI.

Speaking more on the context, Katich said, “The big thing with most players who play International matches for extended period of time, is you get a lot of confidence.”

Talking about Narine’s performance with the bat, he said, “We knew he can bat. With Chris Lynn injured at the moment we felt the need to try him at the top. He played a huge part. To be 76 after six overs was a fantastic start that killed the game. He repaid that faith. He thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him as vocal in training as we found out while batting atop the order. His nickname is ‘all-rounder’ now. Hopefully that continues.”

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