Every team cannot always win like Tendulkar: SRK

-- Atmosphere at Eden Gardens unmatched, says star owner --

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) principal owner Shah Rukh Khan said on Saturday that it was not possible for every team to keep winning like Sachin Tendulkar, but promised the fans that his Knights would give their best to lift the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season.

Speaking at a promotional, the Bollywood superstar expressed his hopes and ambition for the KKR in the upcoming edition of the Twenty20 event.

The following are excerpts:

His expectations from this year’s IPL
Nobody likes to lose. Sometimes you lose to win again, you fall to rise higher. We have miles to go and promises to keep. We will try and lift the IPL this year. Even though we are in Mumbai, we would take the trophy to Calcutta. I would also like to see Mumbai Indians do well, as also the other franchises, but I want our team to better than the others.

If Dav Whatmore is a better coach than John Buchanan
John was a good coach, but I think communication (between him and the players) was a problem. We decided to change the coach in the best interest of the team. I felt sad to see him go. Probably, it was due to the language or the age factor. But Dav has worked with the Sri Lankan and Bangladesh teams and also been with the National Cricket Academy. So, communication has improved this time.

KKR’s performance in the last edition
I think we played well, but sport is like that. A loss doesn’t mean it’s a bad performance. Every team is not like Sachin (Tendulkar) who always wins. He is a genius. Maybe it was the multiple captains’ theory; maybe we worked hard but not hard enough… But I believe that our performance in the second season was better than the first because the matches we lost were by a close margin.

The colour of the jersey being changed
There were a lot of suggestions (following the team’s poor performance in the first two seasons). Juhi (Chawla) said ‘let’s change the colour’. But I don’t think anyone in the team is superstitious. I do pray, and we say prayers in the dressing room before every match. But the players know it’s about performance. Actually, when you lose, you want to change every thing and start afresh.

On IPL returning to India
There’s always a buzz when you are playing at home, it’s a wonderful feeling. I don’t want to take anything away from the other venues, but it’s a different feeling at Eden Gardens that you won’t get anywhere. I have attended World Cup matches and been to many venues, but that feeling is incomparable.

On the IPL-broadcasters impasse
I am not involved in the discussions. I hope it gets resolved because it will benefit both of us (the IPL and the media). It will be a great thing.

The Indian hockey team
I should have gone there (to the World Cup). I am thrilled with the way entire India has taken to the game. I think we should have more international matches and tournaments like this in India. I have played hockey. So I know hockey better than cricket. There has been a jump in our standards. I say once more, Chak de India!