“One of those dismissals has been a run out, not a part of his fault,” Finch said. “Still, he’s missed out twice. There’s a bit of panic, he’s not looking the same as the past. Remember when he was at the top of the order for MI – how he had totally different intent.” That was in 2023 whn he was fixed at No. 3 for MI and scored 452 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 160.28 and an average of 50.22.
“He was imposing at the crease,” Finch said, “Now he looks tentative. Don’t push him down. Push him either up the order, or give him a rest.” Green’s entry points in this tournament so far have been the sixth over, batting No. 3, the fifth over batting No. 4, and the second over batting No. 3.
Finch also criticised KKR’s decision to bat first against PBKS, exposing their batters – including Green – to less-than-ideal conditions after all the rain in the lead-up to the game. The Eden Gardens pitch had been left under covers for a long time and the moisture that had built up resulted in help for the seam bowlers.
“Winning the toss and electing to bat after the wicket’s been under the covers for a day – you know there’s been rain in the air – it makes absolutely no sense,” Finch said, “That’s an alarm bell for me. It’s not that they’re two down for 25. It’s the fact that ‘we shouldn’t be batting’. You’re making the wrong decision even when you’ve got all the information.
“There’s cloud cover around. You’re expecting rain. They had three hours of rain. Obviously, somebody has told them at some point – ‘it might rain later’ – you might need to chase later. DLS [calculations in truncated games] works better for the team batting second a little better. You’ve got all that information, so I don’t understand how you get to the decision you’ll bat first.”
KKR next play Lucknow Super Giants on April 9, staying back in the recently rain-hit Kolkata for the fixture.
