Ahmedabad, Apr 16 (PTI) Weighed down by recurring shin splints, Kartik Tyagi reached a point where he realised he had to make changes if he was to play cricket again.
On the eve of their IPL match against Gujarat Titans here, the Kolkata Knight Riders pacer opened up about the changes he made after his frustrating battle with injuries.
Understanding the process, he said, helped immensely, and so did the change in his run-up.
“I have had injuries, but during that time, I have identified why I was facing the same problems. Whenever I would start playing cricket, I would face the same problem. So then, I took a break for a year, identified why the problem was repeating, then I fixed the problem,” Kartik said at the pre-match press conference.
“Mentally there were not many changes.. but I had to make some changes due to injuries, like my run-up. I realised that If I have to play cricket again, I have to make some changes,” he added.
For the 2026 IPL season, Kartik was acquired by the Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 30 lakh after proving his fitness following injury-plagued seasons.
The tall pacer is known for consistently clocking 140+ kmph, and is leading KKR’s pace attack along with Vaibhav Arora.
“I have always tried to understand and follow the process. The seniors I have spoken to said that pressure will always be part of the game. So what is important is the process,” Kartik said.
“Suppose I am bowling in specific conditions, what is the better option there. So that is the only thing that is there in my mind.” He added, “If I have speak about the wickets, we play domestic cricket almost throughout the year in all conditions, so we know what we have to bowl in that conditions.
“Our coaches have a played a lot of cricket in various conditions so we also get a lot a help form them. My only endeavour is to bowl according to the conditions. That’s my focus.” KKR are yet to win a game this season and Kartik said they are trying their best to break the run of reverses.
“We feel bad that we have not won matches but I am only thinking about what I can do going ahead,” he said.
“To some extent, I would say it comes down to luck. There were few games where luck did not favour us. Looking at the way our last match went… we also have to show better intent going ahead.
“The whole team is feeling bad that we have still not won a match this time but we are trying our best.” Meanwhile, KKR confirmed that Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana will not feature in Friday’s game even though he has received an NOC from his board, as his “travel logistics are being figured out”.
KKR are at the bottom of the standings after playing five matches. PTI AH AH ATK
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