Video of Hardik Pandya 91 runs in 34 balls : 9 Huge Sixes : IPL

MI vs KKR, Eden Gardens, Kolkata, April 28

Match Result: Kolkata Knight Riders won by 34 runs

Player of the Match: Andre Russell

Rohit Sharma | MI captain: “You gotta start well which didn’t happen for us. We kept losing wickets which added more pressure towards the end. If somebody would have played a hand with Hardik, we lost by 30 runs, you never know. We tried everything we could. We bowled those yorkers, we bowled the bouncers, tried our variations.

Got to give credit to their batters, Lynn set the tone, Gill batted really well and Russell finished it off. This is a learning for us. We will find some answers going forward. Today was a testing time for us, but I am not really worried how the bowling unit will come back from this.

When you have a score like that you have to believe you can chase it down otherwise it is not possible. You need few of the guys to put their hands up, not one guy can take you through. We needed partnerships, someone to bat longer with Hardik.

Credit to him, maginificent effort. Have to regroup quickly now, we are playing two home games and know the conditions well. As a team we have done some right things and we have to believe in our abilities. You got to stay positive and look forward to the next game.”

Dinesh Karthik | KKR captain: “I think at the end of the day you should make sure your process is right. It might sound cliche but it’s a high pressure sport. You gotta make sure everybody is in great space as it’s such a high octane tournament.

You need to stay healthy as a lot of back biting can happen in these types of situations and I am very aware about it. At the end of the day, it’s a game, you need to keep a smile, you need to be nice to others and you need to be happy. It shouldn’t be like that guy played so bad. I am aware about it.

It’s hard work, it was a flat wicket and they came out all guns blazing. Credit to Hardik, the way he played. Credit to my bowlers as well as they held on to their nerves. In these kind of games we were waiting for one bad shot.

Russell is a great player, he’s a special player and it’s good to see him grow as a player. The maturity he’s showing is great to see. I was just talking about the same to him. These balls cost a lot and we need to ask him to keep calm. We live another day, that’s important and the crowd has been fantastic.”

Hardik Pandya: “I was just telling Krunal ‘damn I am close to a hundred’ that is something new for me. The situation demanded to go all out and I was lucky enough everything was coming out, except the ball I got out. To be honest, with this kind of total you don’t think much, just go out there and express yourself.

I knew Pollard was there, I couldn’t take time and I just wanted to enjoy the game. I am just holding my shape pretty well and the confidence makes a huge difference. I knew something different had to happen, but it was difficult for one guy to keep going.

If Krunal had got a couple, we would have been proper in the game. My plan was to get close to the total so that the run rate doesn’t get effected.”