Whatmore warns his players against complacency

KKR coach Dav Whatmore warned his players against any complacency as they take on Rajasthan in their IPL match.

Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders coach Dav Whatmore today warned his players against any complacency as they take on Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match.

After a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals yesterday, the Knight Riders face the same opponents at home tomorrow and Whatmore wants a win to set the momentum going. "We should not forget we were exactly in same position last year. It`s premature to talk about this or that. We are fully aware where we are. We have 11 matches to go. This may sound a cliche but we will take one game at a time," said the coach who guided Sri Lanka to World Cup triumph in 1996. "We recognise the previous and this game (tomorrow) are very important games for us. We started off in a positive way winning first one. We are keen to make two in a row against the same opposition," Whatmore said, hinting that there would not be much change in the playing eleven of the last match.
He said all the players are fit and raring to go but ruled out the inclusion of Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. "He fully understands the situation. He has assured me that he would be ready to perform with the opportunity he gets," he said. Knight Riders had started their IPL campaign with a shocking two-run loss to Chennai Super Kings but they bounced back with wins over Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals.

Whatmore said flexibility was their main strength and the addition of Australian top gun Brett Lee and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib-al-Hasan has added to the strength of the side."Lee was a welcome addition to our group. He will get better. We welcome him with both arms. Shakib did a pretty decent job yesterday. He is the captain of his country. He is a value addition to our side. "We got a reasonable group of players who are a bit more flexible. It`s a good headache for selection. We have a side who are pretty strong physically and they are skillful. "We have some key players who can make the difference. These days you play in one country and soon you are in a different country. I know it`s not the easiest thing to do," he said about the hectic schedule of Lee and Shakib who recently played in the Australia-Bangladesh ODI series. Whatmore, however, said his side was not underestimating their opponents led by a tactician in Shane Warne."Shane is a very good tactician and a skillful bowler. We have seen how much he can get out of his team. We are aware of his capability. We will have had a good look at that," said Whatmore. PTI