India, April 7 -- Kolkata Knight Riders were 25/2 in 3.4 overs when rain brought a halt at Eden Gardens on Saturday night, but the bigger damage had already been done. On a surface with early life, under heavy skies and with the Punjab Kings happy to use the conditions, Ajinkya Rahane's decision to bat first after winning the toss looked baffling almost immediately. Xavier Bartlett struck twice in his first over, removing Finn Allen and Cameron Green, and KKR were left exposed before the game had properly settled. For a side already under pressure early in the season, it was the kind of call that invites a harsher question: did KKR save money on captaincy, only to make themselves poorer in value?

That is where the Shreyas Iyer comparison...