KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit unfazed hype on Dhoni’s farewell

When Kolkata Knight Riders look to keep their playoff hopes alive in the Indian Premier League, the match against Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday has been building up with the possibility of MS Dhoni playing his last game at the venue. Unfazed this, KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit believes his players know how to “ignore the noise” and stay focused on the game.
“During these kinds of games, every player and every team is always focused on their own game,” said Pandit on the eve of their match against CSK. “I mean, that’s sometimes like, if a batter is batting and there is so much noise around and if you ask that batter, probably he will say that ‘I didn’t hear anything about it.” he added.
While Chennai are already out of contention, defending champions Kolkata are still hanging a thread. With a little over 13 per cent chance of KKR making it into the playoffs, they have 11 points from as many matches and need to win all three of their remaining games to keep their playoff hopes alive.
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Pandit said players are capable of shutting out outside noises.
“It was the same case with me when people used to tell me so much noise around and how you can focus. But sometimes we just ignore that noise automatically. So, obviously when you are focused on the game, it does not matter so much if you ask me,” he said.
The match carries an emotional subplot, with the iconic Dhoni possibly bidding farewell at a venue to which he shares a deep personal connection since childhood. But Pandit asserted that his team remains undeterred the “noise.”
No pressure on KKR
Asked whether the team is feeling the pressure, Pandit said, “Not really (feeling the pressure).”I don’t want to go back. We always believe that we have the best batting lineup, it unfortunately didn’t click. Hope it will do justice in the next three games. We know the ability of every individual player. We believe in them. To maintain that, you have to give them a lot of confidence, make sure they believe in themselves.”
(With inputs from PTI)