Ravi Shastri, fans slam Kolkata Knight Riders captain Shreyas Iyer, coach McCullum for omitting Cummins

The
inclusion
of
Pat
Cummins
and
this
match-winning
performance
against
MI
led
Shastri
and
even
the
fans
to
criticise
KKR
captain
Shreyas
Iyer
and
coach
Brendon
McCullum
for
omitting
the
Australian
in
earlier
matches.

Cummins
had
joined
the
KKR
after
Australia’s
tour
to
Pakistan
last
month
and
made
an
immediate
impression
against
Mumbai
Indians.
He
took
2
for
49
and
then
struck
an
unbeaten
56,
the
quickest
fifty
in
the
IPL
2022,
to
guide
KKR
to
a
stunning
win.

However,
after
that
effort
Cummins
struggled
to
hold
on
to
his
own
in
the
IPL
2022
as
his
graph
gradually
went
down.
Cummins
went
for
0/51
against
Delhi
Capitals,
1/40
against
Sunrisers
Hyderabad,
1/50
against
Rajasthan
Royals
without
making
much
contribution
with
the
bat
either.

Hence,
Cummins
was
benched
for
the
next
few
matches
before
coming
back
for
the
match
against
Mumbai.
He
again
had
fine
outing
against
the
five-time
champions,
taking
three
wickets
conceding
a
mere
22
runs.

Shastri
expressed
his
surprise
over
the
omission
of
Cummins,
the
world’s
best
bowler
in
all
formats
at
the
moment
and
also
the
captain
of
Australia
in
Test
cricket.

“Fortunate
that
they
played
Cummins
today.
I
don’t
what
he
has
been
doing
warming
the
benches
all
this
time.
He
is
the
Australia
captain,
a
world
class
bowler
and
here
KKR
had
benched
him,”
said
Shastri
in
a
veiled
criticism
of
KKR
captain
Shreyas
Iyer
and
coach
McCullum.

The
fans
also
did
not
forgive
Shreyas
for
telling
that
KKR
CEO
Venky
Mysore
is
involved
in
team
selection.

“It’s
really
difficult
(making
changes
to
the
playing
11
and
informing
the
players).
I
was
also
in
that
position
once
when
I
started
playing
IPL.
We
discuss
with
the
coaches,

CEO
is
also
involved
in
team
selection,
Bas
goes
to
the
players
and
tells
them
if
they’re
not
playing.
All
of
them
are
very
supportive
of
the
decision-making,”
said
Shreyas
in
the
post-match
presentation
ceremony.

“The
way
they
turn
up
to
the
ground,
each
and
every
individual
in
the
playing
XI,
it’s
something
to
be
proud
of
as
a
captain.
The
way
we
played
with
high
spirits
and
a
good
vibe,
I’m
proud
of
it.
The
win
was
comprehensive.
The
players
were
charged
up
to
win
the
game.

“The
previous
games
have
not
been
great
for
us.
It
plays
on
your
mind
when
you’re
on
the
losing
side.
I’m
not
satisfied
but
I
want
to
keep
up
with
the
same
momentum
to
come
back
strong
in
the
other
games,”
added
Shreyas.

The
mention
of
CEO
also
raised
in
anger
among
KKR
fans
as
many
asked
how
an
administrative
official
can
involve
in
deciding
the
team
selection
for
a
match,
even
if
he
has
the
power
to
run
the
franchise.

At
present,
KKR
have
10
points
from
matches
and
they
need
to
win
the
remaining
two
games
and
reach
14
points
to
maintain
the
slender
chances
to
qualify
for
the
playoffs.
Kolkata
will
next
face
Sunrisers
Hyderabad
in
a
crucial
match
on
Saturday
(May
14).