LSG's Klusener disagrees with Pant's assessment following loss vs DC
What's the story
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) assistant coach Lance Klusener disagreed with Rishabh Pant's post-match analysis.
The team lost to Delhi Capitals (DC) by one wicket in their 2025 Indian Premier League opener.
Despite LSG scoring 209 runs in Visakhapatnam, it wasn't enough to secure victory as Ashutosh Sharma led DC to a thrilling win with an impressive knock of 66* runs off just 31 balls.
Captain's view
Pant's belief in team's score
Pant, who had a disappointing debut for LSG with a six-ball duck, defended his team's performance.
He said he believed they had scored enough runs on the challenging Visakhapatnam pitch.
"I think our top-order batters played really well and I think it was a pretty good score on this wicket," said Pant post-match.
Despite the loss, he maintained their performance was commendable under the circumstances.
Coach's critique
Klusener's critical assessment of batting performance
Unlike Pant, Klusener was more critical of LSG's batting. He believed they fell short by 20-30 runs, which added pressure on their bowlers.
"If I have to put a finger on it, I would like to say we've probably left 20 or 30 runs with the bat out there," Klusener said.
He felt this contributed a lot to their eventual defeat against DC.
Pressure on bowlers
Klusener emphasizes need for more runs
Further, Klusener stressed that it was the lack of runs which cost them the match.
"I thought they [DC] finished well with the bat, but the reason why we're in that position is because we didn't score enough runs," he said.
The coach hinted that when their bowlers bowled well, there was some help from spin, and it was a good wicket for batting and bowling both.
Bowling woes
Klusener addresses LSG's bowling challenges
Klusener also spoke about the challenge LSG faced with their bowling attack due to injuries.
They had to go in with just two frontline pacers in Shardul Thakur and Prince Yadav, which saw them picking four spinners.
"At the moment, we don't have a lot of reserves with the ball," Klusener said. "We're going to have to just probably mix and match until we start getting players back."
Moving forward
Pant urges focus on the game, not luck
As LSG gear up for their next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pant urged his team to concentrate on their performance rather than lamenting missed opportunities or bad luck.
He admitted luck plays a part in cricket but stressed on good gameplay over things beyond their control.
"Instead of focusing on these things we should play good cricket instead of thinking about the luck factor," Pant said, urging his team to stay positive and believe in their abilities.