KOLKATA: The pressure was on for Kolkata Knight Riders after six matches without a win and Sunday’s win over Varun Chakraborty did not lose its significance.“I saw more tears in the dressing room today than I did after we won the tournament (in 2024),” Spinner said. “This win means a lot to us.”It kept them alive in the tournament, though the road ahead is extremely tough.It was a big day for Varun too, as he heralded a return to form with figures of three for 14. However, they don’t want to take advantage of it. “The wicket was helping us a bit and when that happens the bowlers tend to attack,” he said.In fact, he didn’t find anything wrong with his bowling in the last two months when he was giving away a lot of runs. “It’s all about the kind of wickets you take,” he said.“I am very hard on myself, if I don’t do well I go and point out what is not there. But the pitches were such that there was nothing for the spinners. If you look at the other spinners, it was the same for everyone. So yes, it is good that there is something for the spinners now (at Eden).”However, he agreed that 190 was par for the course, despite a slow Eden Gardens wicket on Sunday. Rajasthan Royals Batting coach Vikram Rathore agreed with Varun.“We were at least 20 runs short,” Rathore, who is also India’s former batting coach, said.He lamented left-arm seamer Nandre Burger’s missed catch by Rinku Singh when the batsman was on eight, which proved to be a decisive moment, but added that it was part of the game. “Yeah, it made a difference, but these things happen.”
