KKR fielding coach Ryan Ten Doeschate believes that the significant influence of impact players has drastically transformed the landscape of T20 cricket.
In the ever-evolving T20 cricket, teams are consistently pushing the boundaries of run-scoring, with 200 now considered the norm and totals exceeding 260 proving precarious for even the most seasoned sides, as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) discovered in their recent match against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Despite posting what seemed like a formidable 261, KKR’s fielding coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, admitted surprise at the successful chase, emphasizing the need for an aggressive mindset from both batters and bowlers throughout the entire match.
“Ordinarily, you’d said it is but I think if you told us that we would score 261 tonight, you almost couldn’t fathom a team chasing that down. And it is the same for us when we’re batting first. We have an extra batter in the shed so you can go pretty hard. I guess – the mindset of the batters has to be prepared to go hard the whole 20 overs till the situation changes. And like I said with the ball, there’s an upside to being brave and really going at the batters rather than sitting back and waiting to find a way to stop the stream of runs that has been coming,” Ten Doeschate said.
KKR’s Sunil Narine and Phil Salt formed an impressive opening partnership, amassing 138 runs, the highest this season. However, the coach acknowledged the need to reassess targets given the current scoring trends, suggesting a minimum target of 240 on favorable pitches.
Reflecting on the match, Doeschate felt they weren’t far off the mark and admitted a slight shift in momentum after key wickets fell. While their total of 261 fell just short of their desired 270, he attributed it to minor fluctuations in performance, a common occurrence in the game.
Ten Doeschate also emphasized the significant evolution of T20 cricket, attributing it to the impact of key players on scoring strategies. He noted the stark contrast from a decade ago when teams felt confident with scores over 160, whereas now, a competitive total requires reaching 160 by the 13th over.
“Yeah, first of all, I’ll say the impact players obviously had a massive effect on how guys go about scoring. And the game is almost unrecognizable from 10 years ago, you know when used to play. If you get past 160, you pack your bag and you feel you got the win. Now you need 160 before the 13th over to have a chance to get a big score,” he said.
“So we have to come up with innovative ways. We have to keep changing. Literally ball by ball. I don’t think we can bowl two balls the same or you can go with both bowlers back to back anymore unless they really have a grip on the game,” he added.
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Last Updated on April 27, 2024
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