Finn Allen reveals how getting dropped helped him get back to his best

Allen has been instrumental in KKR's last two wins with scores of 100 not out off 47 balls against Delhi Capitals and 93 off 35 balls against the Gujarat Titans on Saturday.

The performance against GT was particularly impressive given it was against one of the strongest bowling attacks in the competition.

It has been a long time coming for Allen, who arrived at KKR with a weight of expectations on his shoulders as a big overseas signing but began the campaign in poor form that resulted in him losing his place in the first team.

The New Zealand opener and wicket keeper revealed he was struggling mentally after the slow start and being out of the team allowed him to refresh and reset.

"I was probably a shell of a human for a bit there. And it was all self-inflicted," he said after being named Player of the Match in the win against GT.

"I think, you know, when you go out of the side, you have time to relax and take a breath and, I guess, look at things from a different perspective. I love playing cricket.

"I love batting but I probably wasn't enjoying it as much as I should have at the time, because I was putting so much pressure on myself.

"So yeah, look, having those few games off really did me a good thing. And yeah, it's a great learning for sure."

Allen says he was trying to force the play too much initially and is now playing each ball on its merit and not put too much pressure on himself to hit a boundary if the shot was not on.

"Today it was definitely tricky at the start. We knew that was going to be the case. Two of probably the best opening bowlers in the comp as well," he said.

"So I think, to be honest, I had a plan of just hit what I got. And if I didn't get the ball, I wanted just try and get off strike or just not get out really.

"So it was one of those wickets and then, yeah, I just wanted to be there for a long time. Especially once Ajinkya Rahane got out, I knew I had to take a bit of responsibility.

"I think it's just for me keeping my intent early, trying to get in good positions. If it's there, try and hit it for four or six.

"And if it's not, just try and get off strike. I'm just trying to get in stronger positions so I can be more consistent, you know, that's going to help me combat the ball moving off the wicket and the swing. That's the plan really, just try and keep it simple."

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