Kolkata, April 3 : Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane defended his batting approach after a 65-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and fired back at critics questioning his strike rate and intent, saying they are jealous and have certain agenda against him.

Rahane endured a slow start, managing only eight runs off his first nine deliveries before top-edging a slower ball from Jaydev Unadkat. He also found it difficult to rotate strike or play attacking shots against the spin duo of Harsh Dubey and Abhishek Sharma during the powerplay.

However, in KKR's tournament opener against Mumbai Indians, Rahane played a 67-run knock off 40 balls at a strike rate of 167.50.

Moreover, KKRâ??s innings was marked by a lack of substantial partnerships, with no stand reaching the half-century mark. The situation was further worsened by the run-outs of key batters, Cameron Green and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, as the team was eventually bowled out for 161 in just 16 overs.

"My strike rate... I have the best strike rate so far, from 2023. People who are talking are probably not watching the game or have a certain agenda against me. They don't like me playing, they don't like to watch me play. The amount of success I've had, I guess they are jealous of me. I'm not too worried. My intent was there. Sometimes as a batter you don't get the rhythm or the flow," Rahane told reporters during the post-match presser.

Since IPL 2023, only Abhishek Sharma (176.56) has a better strike rate than Rahane (167.78) in the powerplay among Indians (with a cut-off of 250 balls faced).

"People who are talking either don't understand the game or they want me to play a different kind of innings. They didn't expect that Ajinkya Rahane would improve his game this much. I am happy they are talking about me - negative or positive. Let them talk. But partnering Finn Allen, it has been very good. The first six overs you need to look to play fearless cricket with freedom. At times you will struggle, that's okay, it's important to accept.

"But I know what I'm doing, I know what I've done in the past, and I back myself instead of thinking about what others are saying. Whoever are talking about it, let them talk," said Rahane.

KKR suffered two defeats in their first two games - only the second time in KKR's history have they had such a poor start to a season. They will have to bounce back when they host Punjab Kings on April 6 and Lucknow Super Giants come on April 9.

/IANS