Slotted in for the unwell Sunil Narine, the offspinner returned tidy figures of 2 for 23 © BCCI Having lost their season opener in disappointing fashion, Kolkata Knight Riders bounced back with a facile win over Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. What would have pleased the defending champions is the way someone like Moeen Ali stepped up on his KKR debut. The seasoned Englishman was a last-minute inclusion for the game after Sunil Narine was ruled out due to illness. As it turned out, Moeen played he perfect replacement role, giving away just 23 runs off his four overs while also picking up the big wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Rana. Reflecting on his performance, Moeen felt that sticking to the basics helped him to deliver an effective performance. “I was just trying to do my job. Obviously, Sunil (Narine) was a big miss for us. Just tried to stick to my strengths and spin the ball as much as I can, and just contain.” said Moeen at the post-match press conference. It helped the Englishman that the surface in Guwahati was on the slower side and had purchase in it for the spinners. Right from his entry into the bowling attack, Moeen found a hint of bite from the surface and his accuracy then made things very difficult for the batters during the middle overs. As a result of his spell and Varun Chakaravarthy’s magic, RR managed just 56 runs in the nine overs bowled after the PowerPlay, while also losing five wickets in the process. “It was a good wicket, had a bit of everything. A bit of spin, a bit of seam. Obviously it spun nicely but not massive spin, just enough spin. A bit tacky but a nice ground to play, I’ve played here in the warm-up games and it was nice. It was nice that there was a bit of spin for us.” It was a game where everything fell into place for KKR right from the toss which proved crucial, considering the slight amount of dew that fell later in the evening. For the side still smarting after the humiliation at Eden Gardens in the season opener, Moeen underlined the importance of getting off the mark at the earliest. “It’s nice to get a win within your first couple of games so that you don’t overthink things. Today was a great team performance, everyone bowled well against a good side. We contained really well and never really let them get ahead of the game, which then made our batting a bit easier with Quinny (de Kock) playing the way he did was outstanding.” There weren’t signs initially that KKR would be able to put a stranglehold, given the way RR started with a 54-run PowerPlay. However, it was also apparent that this wouldn’t be a 250-run surface as the new ball also had a bit of grip when pace was taken off. Sanju Samson perished after being unable to get off the blocks quickly, but Jaiswal and stand-in skipper Riyan Parag appeared to have started solidly, until spin was brought on. Moeen’s first over, the seventh of the RR innings, went for just five runs and it set the tone for KKR’s middle-overs squeeze that effectively won them the game. The off-spinner used his defensive qualities to choke an end up while his aggressive spin twin Varun used his mystery to tie down the batters. As a result, RR’s innings nosedived and never recovered thereafter. Moeen explained how the contrasting nature of his and Varun as spinners worked well in tandem. “My job was to keep it tight, so that he can build the pressure and maybe get wickets. I’m used to bowling with someone who is better than me and has more mystery than me. My job is to bowl as tight as I can and hopefully that builds pressure for that person to then get wickets. Varun is bowling outstandingly well as we know and he is a brilliant bowler. He has improved so much over the last two-three years. It is amazing to bowl with somebody like that.” Moeen’s best moment of the game when he produced a ripping off-break to castle Nitish Rana. The left-hander, known for his prowess against spinners, was opened up by a delivery that drifted in on middle-and-off, and spun away sharply to dislodge the off bail. A dream off-spinner’s delivery. Understandably, Moeen was also quite delighted with that ball. “That ball was a nice one. I was just trying to spin it as much as I can. I knew that there was a bit of pressure being built and I just tried to bowl in a good area, spin it as much as I can. I don’t have the skill as other bowlers but my job is to contain as much as I can, not get hit for six over my head. If they play good shots and hit me for fours and sixes, then I’m pleased with that. My skill is that I think like a batter, so I think what they think and it works in my favour.” The RR-KKR game was a welcome relief after a flurry of high-scoring games where even totals of 240-plus didn’t look safe. With flat pitches and short dimensions, and the added cushion of Impact Player rule, run-scoring has been on a high in the IPL since the 2023 season. The way this year has started, there could be a lot more massive scores on offer in the days to come. Which is why games like the one in Guwahati also need to happen a bit more to add balance to the format. Moeen acknowledged the fact but also felt that bowlers need to evolve with their skills in this unforgiving format. “India is a great place to bat. But on wickets like this, you aren’t going to get 300, you probably aren’t even going to get 200. It’s great to have these games in between those (high scoring) games. Big scoring games are great to see but it also gives a false sense of security, which is a bit too much. The game is developing fast and people are just fearless at the moment. The bowlers do have to come up with something, it is more important than ever before.”
