KXIP skipper George Bailey optimistic after ‘okay’ but ‘inconsistent’ run
KXIP, with only two wins and five defeats, find themselves at the bottom of the table. The tournament has quite been like the 2014 edition and the Goerge Bailey-led unit need to get their act right when they start playing in Mohali. In an exclusive interaction with http://www.indianexpress.com, skipper Bailey talks about the frequent shuffles in the playing XI, the road ahead and the ‘hard decision’ of leaving players out. Excerpts (Full Coverage| Fixtures|Points Table)
Has playing in your ‘adopted home’ taken the early momentum away from KXIP?
I don’t think so. I don’t think we played good cricket to get results in our favour. And, we had some really good support in Pune. We get good support wherever we go. Regardless of support, when we go out there we know who we are representing and give it our all.
You opted out of one game. Something we can expect to see regularly?
The challenge of every squad is to play the strongest possible team and not to rely only on the XI. You got to have depth in the squad and have different guys for conditions and who can push each other to break into the XI. We are quite fortunate to have guys with ability to perform different roles for us. So we don’t think too far ahead. Match day, opposition, conditions and then we decide on the best XI.
How exciting is it to see Indian domestic talent hog all the limelight?
Absolutely! Anureet Singh was injured last year and missed with a broken thumb, but he has taken the opportunity with both the hands this year. So it is important for the boys to be ready and grab the opportunity when it comes their way. Manan Vohra did it, so did Sandeep Sharma. So it is exciting to see these young Indian players set up and contribute in side’s success.
How difficult has been to keep someone like Manan Vohra on the bench?
It’s hard leaving him out as it is leaving Shaun Marsh. Gurkeerat Mann is another talent who hasn’t quite got the opportunity so far. Our job is to keep them happy and well trained so that when opportunity comes, they make it count.
Five games, two wins. What went wrong for KXIP?
I don’t think we have played that bad. Our batting has been okay and bowling too has been outstanding in patches and not so good in others. It’s now important that we be consistent and win those crunch moments in the game. It’s a very long tournament and a couple of good wins is all we need.
Apart from the IPL, Australia’s ODI skipper role keeping you distracted?
As of now I’m only thinking about my holiday to Europe. (Laughs)
