Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders Coach Jaques Kallis on Tuesday stood behind his captain Dinesh Karthik and senior batsman Robin Uthappa. Both Karthik and Uthappa along with three other KKR cricketers decided to stay back in Mumbai instead of travelling with other team members to Kolkata on Monday following their loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.
“We felt that the guys needed a break. Guys had the freedom to do what they feel in the next couple of days. It has been a disappointing couple of games for us so we thought that they can do whatever they want to clear their minds.”
It is learnt from reliable sources that Karthik and Uthappa had a meeting with team owner Shahrukh Khan in Mumbai. The five cricketers will be joining the rest of the squad in Kolkata ahead of the clash against Rajasthan Royals.
According to Kallis, “If they want to go back to home or some guys felt that they needed some practice at the academy in Mumbai. It’s just about getting the guys refreshed and coming back ready for the game against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday.”
Both Karthik and Uthappa and have been horribly short of runs this season. Karthik has a tally of 117 runs after ten matches with only one fifty. Uthappa, on the other hand, has managed to score only 220 runs.