Watch out for KKR! They can chase any target

Terming Kolkata Knight Riders as a ‘good chasing side’, captain Gautam Gambhir says they back themselves to chase down any target set by the opposition team in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

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After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, KKR first restricted Rising Pune Supergiant to 182 for five and then chased down the target with seven wickets in hand.

"I thought we are a good chasing side and we are confident of chasing anything. Restricting the opposition to 180 was terrific and the credit needs to go to the bowlers," said Gambhir after registering their sixth win out of eight games in this IPL.

KKR's chase was built on the 158-run second wicket stand between Robin Uthappa (87 off 47 balls) and Gambhir (62 off 46 balls).

"It's good to keep contributing, I keep saying Orange Cap does not matter if you don't have points as a team. But it is good to score runs and when you are, score as much as you can," the KKR skipper said.

Uthappa, who was named man-of-the-match for his blistering knock, said he has lot of belief in his own abilities.

"I've always been strong. I have a lot faith in what I'm doing. I'm really confident and I'm enjoying myself out there," he said.

"I am enjoying my keeping, I think MS (Dhoni) has set the benchmark for Indian keepers, so I'm slowly but surely getting there."

The win propelled KKR to the top of the table and Uthappa stressed on the need to keep the momentum going.

"It is very important to respect the momentum we have created for ourselves. Teams tend to fall off in the second half of the tournament," he said.

Rising Pune Supergiant captain Steven Smith said dew played a role while they were defending the target.

"I thought at the halfway point that it was quite a good total. The wicket was slow, but the dew came on in the chase.

“The wicket just sped up and became very good to bat on. The guys were able to hit through the line comfortably. Gautam (Gambhir) and Robin (Uthappa) batted beautifully," Smith said.

He also stressed on the need to work on their fielding, which according to him has been letting the team down.

"We put down a few catches and it proved costly, we need to work on our fielding. It has happened in a few games in a row and we need to change it. Not sure if it's an attitude problem. But, hopefully, we can improve on our fielding," Smith concluded.