Sodhi: Knights not surprised by their success

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Cricket365
September 25, 2014

New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi says that while others may be shocked at how well the Northern Knights have done at the Champions League T20, the players in the Kiwi team are not at all surprised.

The Knights were not considered one of the stronger sides ahead of the vent, and had to make it past the qualifiers to reach the tournament proper, and did so with aplomb. Their good from has continued in the group stage, winning their first game.

Sodhi explained that the team had many internationals stars in it, with Kane Williamson the most notable after his century earlier in the week, as well AS Sodhi himself, BJ Watling, Trent Boult and Tim Southee to boot.

Sodhi told Cricinfo: “We haven’t surprised ourselves at all. We have been preparing hard for this tournament for a long time. Most of our players had been busy playing some tournament or the other before we came here.

“And then we had an intense weeklong preparatory camp in Bangalore, which helped us get the best combination going. All sorts of combinations that we have tried have worked for us.”

As for his own records, Sodhi has come under the spotlight since his Test debut eight matches ago. His average with the ball has yet to creep below 45, but he says he cannot focus on the critics, only on his own improvement.

He added: “I think criticism is always going to be there. It’s not been that difficult to deal with and I don’t start to lose my sleep over it. Hopefully I can continue and keep doing the things that I am and improve my stats.

“What matters more is what my team-mates think in the nets, more than anything else. That [criticism] doesn’t really bother me.

“Being a part of three Test series victories, winning the Twenty20 competition with my domestic team and now being here for the Champions League has surely helped me start understanding my game a little bit better each day.

“I am looking forward to keep improving and I hope I can be a finished product as a bowler and as a cricketer. It will not come for another few years.”