KOLKATA, April 26: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik feels that questions are bound to be raised against his captaincy after the team suffered its sixth defeat in row in the IPL but �his job is to lead from the front�.
The World Cup-bound Karthik regained his batting form with an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls, helping KKR recover from 49 for 3 to a challenging 176 against Rajasthan Royals here on Thursday night.
However, the hosts failed to defend the total with teenager Riyan Parag (47) and Jofra Archer (27 not out) scripting a stunning three-wicket win.
�It�s my job to lead from the front. But sometimes the results don�t go your way. So it�s obviously always a tough thing to mend. But the fact is that we try hard as a team and I have belief in my boys that we�ll come stronger,� he said.
With another loss, KKR�s hopes of making the play-offs are all but over.
�It is very difficult. I am not going to sit here and say �it�s okay and stuff�... It�s very disappointing. We tried hard but we were just not able to cross the line.�
Following their nine-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad which was their fifth defeat in a row, Karthik was given a �break� as the skipper was not seen with the team on the eve of the match, raising speculation about his captaincy.
�Obviously when the results don�t go your way these questions will be asked, and I understand that. But as a team, we�re trying to do a lot of things right.�
�There�re no things that we�re not attending to. We�re trying to make the right changes, build the right combination and trying to come in every game believing that we can win. We�re trying to keep everybody in good space and making sure the dressing room is good and they all trust in the leader.� � PTI
