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Head coach Mahela Jayawardene faced the media in the pre-match press conference against table-toppers Gujarat Titans on May 6th.

Coming off the back of our first win of the season against RR in our previous game, the squad is obviously confident and the coach was pleased with our efforts in the win.

“It was good to see that we managed to execute our skills and finish the last game off. We were able to cross the line - we have had those opportunities earlier in the season as well - and it was a positive outcome to get points on the board. Our focus has been good and looking forward to the next game, which is a tough one against an in-form team,” stated Mahela.

On being asked what the goal was for the remaining five matches, the coach wanted more of the same from the team.

“We just have to win matches, play as a group. It’s been tough, we are not satisfied with our execution but everyone stuck together and worked hard. We have stayed together and believed in our abilities, so it will be the same for the rest of the season. We have to make sure we win matches and enjoy our cricket,” answered Mahela.

Our coach was also happy with the grit shown by young off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen - who was hit for four sixes by Jos Buttler but then dismissed him - and the debut performance of Kumar Kartikeya Singh.

“Hrithik went for runs but the attitude he showed to come back was great. We knew Kartikeya had the skills and he looked like a pro out there. It’s good to see these kids coming through,” he said.

Mahela also talked about the rough patch of senior players like skipper Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard and felt that the team had to improve their consistency together.

“Pollard has been honest in saying that he has not been able to finish games. There were situations where it was tough for one person to finish it off. The previous game, David and Dan came in to finish the game. He looked good the first three-four games but did not have the support. The consistency is not there, but we have to improve that as a group,” noted Mahela.

“Ro has been good at batting for long periods, with the rest of the guys batting around him. He is disappointed that he has not been able to convert his starts but it’s about executing our gameplans. It’s about getting most of your guys to play good cricket - our bowlers also have to brush up on things like not conceding too many big overs.”

He also stressed about giving specific roles to each player and helping them understand it better.

 “It’s a constant process. With someone like Brevis, it is understanding the roles he can play and how he can execute them but that should not affect the batting order. We want to settle guys in different roles, which is a fine line. Understanding what’s best for us is important. It also depends on the opposition so those factors come into play when we make the team,” he concluded.

Mahela pointed out some positives and a few things to work on and we are thrilled to see how our team performs against the table-toppers.

It is set to be a tough encounter, Paltan, we will need all your loud cheers to get us over the line!