Not being captain allowed me to concentrate: Shane Watson

MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals opener Shane Watson, who cracked a magnificent  104 not out off just 59 balls and later picked up two wickets including that of Yusuf Pathan, said the win will allow the Royals to play with freedom in the playoff stage. Facing a must-win situation, the Royals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by nine runs. “We were a bit up and down after first five games. We certainly lost a lot of momentum, lost a couple of games and there were a couple of washouts and it was a battle to get back to winning ways. It was a knockout game and the win gives us a chance to make the final. We can just go out and play with a lot of freedom,” said Watson.

The all-rounder said that having handed over captaincy duties to Steve Smith allowed him to concentrate on his game in the run-up to the Saturday’s clash. “Well, yes. It is probably no coincidence. Having 3-4 days of training session was crucial for both my batting and bowling. “I had a couple of training session just to get my batting back to where I can strike the ball cleaner and better. I worked on my yorkers. It helps to work on your skills as in a game you then have a good chance to execute your skills.”

Meanwhile, South African great Jacques Kallis defended the Knight Riders’ decision to include Azhar Mahmood in place of Sunil Narine for the key clash. Playing his first game of the season, Mahmood gave away 41 runs from his three overs and made just six runs with the bat.

 “It was a tough call. There was some extra grass on the wicket and it looked like it would help the seamers a little bit extra. There was not too much for the spinners. We felt including him would give that extra seam action as well as strengthen our batting in seaming conditions. It ended up being a really good wicket,” Kallis, KKR’s batting coach said.

Of the seven matches that Kolkata have won this season, only two have been registered away from home. Kallis observed that inconsistency of his side cost them a place in the last four. “We have been a little bit inconsistent this season. We have not won enough away games. Last season, we were more consistent — whatever the reason. It has been a little bit disappointing. We have been pretty good or pretty bad nothing in the middle,” he said.