New Delhi [India] April 22 (ANI): Gujarat Titans (GT) spinner Sai Kishore spoke about the Eden Gardens pitch in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday.

He said that the pitch was gripping enough to purchase wickets, and it got better in the second innings.

He also discussed his plan against KKR batter Andre Russell. 'There was enough purchase in the wicket. When we bowled in the second innings, there was more purchase. In such a track, that was a good total to defend. (Plan against Russell) Just tried to change the angle a bit so that the deviation is different. The situation was to attack, I wanted to go slow through the air and get the top-edge,' Sai Kishore said in the post-match presentation.

Kishore believed that GT spinner Rashid Khan is one of the best T20 bowlers in the world and that the team has confidence in him.

He also highlighted the team's focus on playing good cricket and improving in areas like fielding.

'(On Rashid) He's one of the best T20 bowlers in the world. He's getting his wicket-taking knack back. As a team, we don't doubt his abilities, I don't know what it's like in the commentary box. We all believe in him, and I still believe he's the best T20 bowler in the world. The talk has been about playing good cricket, not about the results. Our fielding was very good today. We are just addressing areas where we can play better as a team,' he added.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) continued to make a mess out of their title defence as their batters once again failed to live up to their hype against a consistent Gujarat Titans (GT), who secured a 39-run win over the defending champions at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday.

After being put to bat first, GT posted 198/3 thanks to superb half-centuries from skipper Shubman Gill (90), Sai Sudharsan (52) and some fiery finishing from Jos Buttler (41*). In reply, KKR could not put up much of a fight, except their skipper Ajinkya Rahane (50), as they were restricted to 159/8 thanks to superb spells by Prasidh Krishna (2/25) and Rashid Khan (2/25).

KKR have slipped to the seventh spot with three wins and their fifth loss, while GT maintain their supremacy at the top with six wins and two losses, giving them 12 points. (ANI)