International retirement has helped me focus more on T20 batting: Jacques Kallis

It hasn't been the most memorable tournament for Jacques Kallis. Even as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) smoothly went about dismantling one opposition after another, one man who missed out in contributing to his team's success was the burly South African all-rounder. All that changed on Thursday. Chasing 141 for a place in the final, KKR lost Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa early. The stage was set for a Kallis special and the Kolkata number three batsman made sure he didn't miss out.

Kallis remained unbeaten on 54 as he steered Kolkata home by 7 wickets. It wasn't a surprise that he was named as the Man of the Match even as the team celebrated their first ever appearance in a final of the CLT20 tournament.

Speaking to CLT20.com after the match, Kallis said he was pleased to finally get some runs under his belt. "I have been hitting it well up until this innings and today I felt like it was there. Its nice that I could contribute in a big game like a semi-final. You want your senior players to come through in big games. It was satisfying to lead from the front," he said.

Chasing a modest 141 meant Kallis could play his own natural game. The 38-year-old batsman said all that was needed was one solid partnership. "We just needed someone to bat through and get a couple of partnerships. I felt the only way we could lose this game was if we got bowled out, that as long as we had one or two guys sticking around, we would be in control. That's what we looked to do," he said.

Kallis feels retirement from all other forms of the game has given him more time to work on his batting in T20s. "The biggest thing is it (retirement) has given me more opportunity to work on my T20 cricket. I have put a lot of time into it and it is nice to see the hard work paying off. I have worked on giving myself bigger scoring options and allowing myself to become a better T20 player," he noted.

The victory over Hobart Hurricanes was KKR's 14th successive win, but Kallis wasn't willing to think too far ahead. "As senior players you make sure you keep the guys feet on the ground and that's what we have been doing. We haven't looked to hit out or lose our focus and we are working as hard as if we are on a losing streak. As long as we keep doing that, there's no reason why we can't continue like this. We have a big final and we will start on naught. We will need a big performance and I know the guys will be up for it and looking forward to it," he said.

Kolkata have played all their matches at Hyderabad and will now travel down south to Bengaluru for the final. Kallis has fond memories of the venue. He was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for three years and Kolkata won the 2014 IPL title on this very ground. "We have good memory from there of winning the IPL. Also, guys know those conditions pretty well. The wicket is behaving pretty much the same as it did during the IPL. It has gotten a bit slower if anything and that will suit our bowlers," he concluded.