Moeen Ali, who stepped in for Sunil Narine during the Kolkata Knight Riders‘ match against Rajasthan Royals, was pretty candid about his role. He mentioned, “I’m used to bowling with someone who is better than me.” Teaming up with the talented Varun Chakaravarthy, Moeen helped tighten the screws on RR, keeping their score to 151 for nine.
Moeen talked about his approach, saying his job was to keep things tight, so Varun could put pressure on the batsmen and grab some wickets. He praised Varun’s growth as a bowler over the past few years, noting how impressive it is to bowl alongside him.
Despite being 37, Moeen had a solid outing with figures of 2/23 in four overs, matching Varun’s 2/23 in his four overs. While RR had a decent start, scoring 54 runs in the Power Play, bringing in spin changed things up. Moeen took out Yashasvi Jaiswal in his second over and made a standout play by dismissing Nitish Rana with a well-spun delivery that hit the stumps.
Moeen shared his strategy, saying, “I just try to spin it as much as I can and bowl in a good area. He added that while he may not have the same skills as some other bowlers, he focuses on containing runs and thinking like a batter to stay ahead.
Narine couldn’t play due to illness, which led KKR’s skipper Ajinkya Rahane to call on Moeen last minute. Moeen also acknowledged the challenges bowlers face in T20, stressing that they need to adapt more than ever as batting continues to get fearless, especially in India.
