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Not happy with form of middle order- Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir has said his team should have 'easily' beaten Kings XI Punjab, after restricting them to a total of 134, at Eden Gardens on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff
16-Apr-2012
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir has said his team should have 'easily' beaten Kings XI Punjab, after restricting them to a total of 134, at Eden Gardens on Sunday. Knight Riders lost by two runs despite needing 13 runs off the last two overs, and a visibly annoyed Gambhir blamed the middle-order for the loss saying it's time they shoulder more responsibility.
"I'm not happy with the form of the middle order," Gambhir said. "There are some experienced players who need to start taking responsibility. Otherwise strong decisions need to be taken. I feel this was a very good wicket to bat on, as the ball was coming nicely on the bat. I'm not happy with our performance, and we should have chased it down easily."
Despite the loss, Gambhir said his bowlers did a tremendous job. "It was a fantastic effort by the bowlers, and I couldn't have asked for more. If you can't chase down 135, you don't deserve to win," Gambhir said. "The result didn't go in our favour, but I can't say it was a poor day. We played well in patches."
Knight Riders now will look to turn the tables on Kings XI when then play them in the return fixture in Mohali on April 18. "We are playing them again after two days, so hopefully we can try and beat them and carry the momentum to Cuttack [where they face Deccan Chargers on April 22]," Gambhir said. "We have 11 games to go, and we need to get the momentum back."