IPL: Fightback shows character of the team, says Gambhir

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir today said the turnaround staged by his side showed the "character" it possesses, after having began the campaign in IPL-7 on a sorry note. KKR defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets for their fifth win in the ongoing edition of the cash-rich T20 league.

Cuttack: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday said the turnaround staged by his side showed the "character" it possesses, after having began the campaign in IPL-7 on a sorry note. KKR defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets for their fifth win in the ongoing edition of the cash-rich T20 league.

"This shows the character of the team, after starting with four defeats. The guys were really pumped up to get the campaign back on track," Gambhir said at the post-match presentation ceremony. The Knight Riders rode on Robin Uthappa`s 52-ball 80 to sail past MI`s target of 142 here. "Winning the toss, the bowlers did a great job to restrict the team to 140." The skipper was all praise for spinner Sunil Narine, who conceded just 18 runs in his four-over spell. "He is a mystery bowler and we are lucky to have a bowler like that in our team. He is always important in restricting the opposition." Man of the Match Uthappa felt he was being rewarded for all the toil and hard work he has been putting in over the past few years. "I have been working hard, I have been improving my skill too. I am trying to play in the V and I am playing with the correct technique too. It`s a result of spending a lot of hours practising," Uthappa said. The batsman also thanked the team`s support staff for helping him regain match fitness after being hit on the toe during practice. "Yesterday I got hit by Cummins on my toe, so I would like to thank my staff for getting me back to play today." Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma said his side was a good 20 runs short of what could have been a competitive total. "The wicket was doing a little bit, it was not an easy pitch to bat. But we were 20 runs short, it was not easy to defend 140 on this ground. "You have to consistently keep scoring 170 plus to win games. We have been bowling well, but we haven`t been consistent in our bowling. We have Josh Hazlewood, Marchant de Lange, Krishmar Santokie (as replacements for Lasith Malinga)," Rohit said.