Rinku Singh during KKR's match
Shreyas Iyer praised Rinku Singh for showing "outstanding" calmness under pressure, calling him an "asset" for the team when Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets on Monday.
Singh smashed 42 off 23 balls with six boundaries and a six as he and Nitish Rana chased down a 153-run target with ease.
"I was talking to my teammates in the dressing room and was like, the way he's maintaining his calm even in such pressure situations playing his second or third game, it's outstanding," Iyer said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
"Building that partnership with Nitish Rana in that situation, it's something we have to praise about and he's a great asset for the future in the franchise. The way he has given starts right from the first game, he doesn't look like a newcomer in the team," he added.
Iyer also praised his bowlers, especially veteran Umesh Yadav and Sunil Narine for consistently producing the goods for KKR.
One area where KKR has struggled is the opening slot and Iyer said they will have to address the issue.
"We are looking for a good start. I love pressure, but it sweats a lot of me to build the innings in every game."
Rajasthan captain Sanju Samson blamed his batting unit for not being able to accelerate in the end.
"I think the wicket was a bit slow and they bowled really well, but with the batting we have I would have liked to score a few more boundaries at the end. I think we were short 15-20 runs," he said.
(Inputs from PTI)
