'Trying to Keep The Confidence High' - KKR Batter Speaks Ahead of RCB Match

image-lgxeti81Roy speaks ahead of RCB match [iplt20.com]

The Indian Premier League 2023 is halfway through, with Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans leading the points table. The second half of the tournament is set to begin on Wednesday, April 26 with Royal Challengers Bangalore locking horns with Kolkata Knight Riders in the 36th match of the tournament.

Kolkata Knight Riders have struggled in the first half of the tournament, managing to win only two out of seven games and losing the rest. They are currently at the eighth position on the points table with just four points. After suffering four consecutive defeats, they will be looking to turn things around in the second half of the tournament to keep their hopes of making it to the playoffs alive.

Meanwhile, the Knight Riders' opener, Jason Roy, stressed the need for a fresh start for the team in the second half of the tournament. Speaking to the media before their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he called on his team to ‘draw a line in the sand’ and put their past performances behind them to give their best in the remaining matches. 

"The talk in the camp is to just keep pushing hard, we got to enjoy ourselves. It is very easy in cricket, especially in short formats to lose and lose a lot of confidence. We are trying to keep the confidence high, smile in the change room, and make sure our methods do not change too much.” 

"As individuals we need to look in the mirror, get better each session and think how we can individually impact the game in a better way. We have had some good individual performances along the losses, which is a bit of positive, but a loss is a loss. We got to draw a line in the sand now that the half of the tournament is done for us and we just got to push forward.”

Amid KKR's struggles this season, Jason Roy's batting form has been a silver lining. In their last match against Chennai Super Kings, he played a scintillating knock of 61 runs off just 26 deliveries.

However, he batted at number five instead of opening the innings in that game. In a recent interview, he explained the reasoning behind that decision, stating: 

"I left the field for 12 minutes at the end of our innings so I was not able to bat for further 12 minutes when our innings started, and it just so happened that we lost those wickets when we did."

"It is just the rules of the game, unfortunately. There was no reason behind it, I really wanted to open and I was pushing my case to open on that wicket, and had to try and do the job in the middle-order.”

When asked about the 50-overs World Cup, set to be played in India, Jason Roy stated that having played plenty of cricket in the subcontinent this year, he is keen on giving his best in the ongoing tournament before turning his attention to the World Cup. 

"With the 50-over World Cup at the end of the year, I have played quite a bit of cricket in the subcontinent. I am just excited to keep pushing for the rest of the tournament (IPL) because we have had a tough start. It is a huge second half for us.”