No major changes despite losing streak, says PBKS spin bowling coach Bahutule
Despite a mid-season slump, Punjab Kings’ spin coach Sairaj Bahutule insists the side will stick to its core combination, while urging sharper fielding after repeated dropped catches
Punjab Kings spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said the team will not be making any major changes despite losing their fourth game on the trot, while admitting that poor catching at crucial junctures is a major concern.
Punjab Kings had begun the season in dominant fashion, winning six matches in a row to sit atop the table during the opening phase of the league. But the Shreyas Iyer-led side has since hit a slump, losing their last four matches.
Fielding lapses—particularly dropped catches—have repeatedly hurt the team at vital moments. In the last two matches, Punjab have dropped five catches.
“Again, today unfortunately we dropped a few catches at the crucial time. We will reflect, but again, no time for us to really brood about it,” Bahutule said at the post-match press conference.
“I think the team that has been doing so well. Yes, we have lost a few games. We will again reflect on certain areas only. There won’t be any major changes, in the sense, everybody has been performing,” he added.
In Punjab’s three-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals on Monday, the Kings dropped two catches, including one of Axar Patel, who went on to score a counter-attacking half-century.
“At the crucial time, we are dropping a catch, which unfortunately is breaking the momentum that we were getting. If we had caught those two catches, I don’t think they would have maybe reached the target, but it would have been very difficult for them. But we will definitely look into it and see how we can just turn it around for ourselves.”
“I think it’s very important to just take the learnings from this game, whatever errors we’ve made, there were some unforced errors,” he added.
Once the table toppers, Punjab have now dropped down to the fourth spot with 13 points from 11 games.
