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Kallis raring to go as Knight Riders gear up for IPL 7

Kallis raring to go as Knight Riders gear up for IPL 7

Former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis is relishing the chance to get back to playing top flight cricket at the Indian Premier League, and has described the Kolkata Knight Riders batting unit as the strongest in three years.

KKR’s opening match against defending champions Mumbai Indians on Wednesday at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi will be the first competitive match for Kallis since retiring from international cricket in December.

“I’m fresh and raring to go. From the physical side, I’ve been putting a lot of time in the gym. Fitness and mental-wise, I’m good as I’ve ever been,” said Kallis.

Kallis is a veteran of IPL having played 90 matches, scoring 2,276 runs and picking up 61 wickets. He was a key player in KKR’s title triumph in 2012 and believes the current team has the potential to go the distance.

“We’re a good side. We got a balance that we can play on all type of wickets,” said the 38-year-old, who practised with KKR in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

“We have got quick bowlers and some who are good with spin. We’ve got guys who can hold the innings together and guys who can hit the ball far. From the batting point of view, I think we’re better than we were for the last three years and have a lot more options.”

Among the KKR batting stars are India’s Yusuf Pathan and captain Gautam Gambhir, and Kallis believes the two will have a big role to play in the tournament, saying he’s been impressed with the pair.

“Most definitely Yusuf Pathan can fire,” said Kallis. “Towards the end of last year’s competition he played big knocks. Sometimes batting down the order, getting 15 or 20 off a couple of balls is as important as getting 50s and 60s.

“Gambhir is massively experienced. He knows this team pretty well and all the guys know what he wants from the team. He leads from the front and expects a lot from the guys. I’ve been very impressed with how he’s captained the side."

The 2012 winners have a variety of bowling options, with offspinner Sunil Narine, leggie Piyush Chawla and South African fast bowler Morne Morkel.

Despite a poor showing in South Africa’s win over New Zealand at the World Twenty20, Kallis backs Morkel to come good.

“He is a world class bowler and he’s very experienced. I have no doubt that he will come back strong. I’m sure he will play a massive role for KKR,” he said.

“He’s played here (with South Africa) and knows the conditions very well. He knows his game pretty well, and I am sure he will be firing on all cylinders,” he added.

Dwelling upon his role in the team, Kallis said: “Obviously in T20 you have to be a little bit more aggressive. And there will be days where I will have to play my role and days where I want to hit the ball from the first delivery,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to those challenges. I’ve always enjoyed this format of the game – you can free up a bit and play with a little bit more freedom.”

Following his retirement from international cricket, where he scored 155 in the Boxing Day Test against India, Kallis feels South Africa has enough quality to fill his void, although he feels it will take time.

“It will take a little while. When anybody retires it takes time to replace a player,” said Kallis, who scored 24,863 runs and took 565 wickets in his international career.

“They have players capable of doing the job. Obviously there is no one who bats and bowls, so they have to do with what they’ve got.

“Jean-Paul Duminy has done a good job stepping into those shoes and bowling a few overs and still being able to bat.

“Then there’s Ryan McLaren who bats and bowls – they’ve found a way to do it.

“Cricket is always bigger than the individual, so I think they can move forward.”


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