Fleming laments “inaccuracies with bat and ball” at CSK

The head coach of the Chennai Super Kings, Stephen Fleming, was open about what went wrong for the reigning champions shortly after the team suffered its third defeat in as many games.

The inconsistency of the pitches at Chepauk seemed to be one of the things that irritated Fleming. Run-fests have already taken place this season, and a standard turning surface has also been used. It was a red-soil track with adequate varying bounce and turn-on offer against PBKS. While lamenting the ongoing pattern of erratic surfaces at Chepauk, Fleming was also quick to commend the opposition for their skillful performance.

We have discussed the unpredictable nature of wickets (in Chepauk),” Fleming stated at the news conference following the game.

Today Jinks (Rahane) was struck in the helmet by the first ball that bounced. All I’m doing is attempting to estimate how it will play. Sadly, we’re batting first a lot, so it’s challenging to determine what constitutes a competitive score. That was on our minds today because we received a few 200s, but it was a little sticky. After a strong start in the first six overs, things got challenging. We attempted with the lefties Dube, Jadeja, and Rizvi. Jadeja was also an aggressive role that didn’t work. Nothing could pass through the middle.

When put to bat, CSK was unable to reach a respectable score on a slowing pitch, which improved for the run chase by Punjab Kings due to the dew factor. The game’s pivotal moment occurred when the host’s middle-overs collapsed, going from 55/0 in the PowerPlay to 90/3 by the 14th over, with the PBKS spinners masterfully choking.

To be fair, the Super Kings tried to neutralize Punjab’s spin danger by moving Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja to the third and fourth spots, respectively, but their changes proved ineffective.

Dube’s six-hitting was a major component of that, so losing him to their spinners today was a huge blow to them. It was a fantastic matchup for Dube as a left-arm and leg spinner. He has performed admirably this season, but they won that one convincingly, which put pressure on us to keep hitting sixes, and it was difficult. Furthermore, the land is somewhat expansive, making it difficult to draw boundaries squarely even with aid. They also did a good job at protecting it and bowling. made it challenging for us,” Fleming remarked.

Only four sixes were hit in CSK’s innings overall, and they were all hit after the 16-over threshold. There were plenty of boundaries in the opening six overs, but no maximums, and even in the boundaries department, there was a dearth of hits in the middle overs. Due to Dube’s first-ball duck, which drastically damaged CSK’s prospects of taking the game to the other left-hander, Jadeja, the reigning champions found themselves in a precarious situation where their right-handers were up against a leg-spinner and a left-arm spinner on a surface that was gripping. Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar deserve praise for their unwavering precision and effective manipulation of the circumstances.

They kept onto it, bowled well, and obtained solid purchase, according to Fleming. “So, three positive aspects. We were simply suppressed throughout, which kept us from scoring a perfect 180. That, in my opinion, would not have been sufficient. The ball sticks in the wicket for a tiny window of time when it is dry. Once more, it becomes difficult to grasp the ball and do variations. They performed the task effectively, they were rather aggressive, and we were also a little off. Although it’s a frustrating day, we were on the wrong side of the IPL, which is a part of it. When using the bat and ball to compete, we were inaccuracies.

The dearth of flying starts in the opening six overs has been another source of worry for CSK this season. Rachin Ravindra did make a few cameos early on to provide Chennai explosive beginnings, but the team has struggled to get early momentum in the innings due to his sudden decline in form and the promotion of Ajinkya Rahane to the opener’s position. Today, Rahane and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad did add 55 runs in the PowerPlay, but 32 of those runs came in the final two overs, indicating that they played the preceding four overs cautiously.

Rahane’s batting has significantly declined from his astounding performances in the previous season, when the Mumbai batsman regularly played at a fast pace in the middle overs to give Chennai the advantage. Rahane has struggled in the 2024 season thus far, seeming rusty in his digs at the crease. The 35-year-old has struggled with timing and has frequently appeared weak when attempting to take the bowling on. Because of this, CSK has frequently started a season when even scores of 250 have been chased down with the bat in a typical fashion. Nonetheless, Fleming supported the team’s strategy and the struggling Rahane.

I felt that Ryane performed admirably today. It’s possible that he has been a little too pushy in his goals. Remember, we are batting on unknown wickets here, so we have no idea how they will play. Thus, we had to halt for a little while to determine what a decent score is. Essentially, the game is done if you are 3 for 30. We would like those two to complete the assessment period that we have been given. Today was excellent; 55 for no loss on that particular wicket was perfect. He had a nice appearance. This is the next step to make sure that his hitting, which was excellent the previous year, is more precise. It’s not without intention. He’s become twice as focused.Jinks and his role are good with us.

The Men in Yellow’s shifting batting order this season has been another peculiarity for a squad that values a defined batting order and defined positions within the group. It also shows how adaptable the club is to matchups, although it does appear that the think tank has adopted a confused attitude. For example, Dube and Jadeja’s batting promotions were spot on, while Sameer Rizvi’s direct insertion as the impact batter was a questionable choice. The youthful player, who is also well-known for his ability to block spin, found it difficult to generate momentum, which left Daryl Mitchell, who is now in excellent form and recently hit fifty, with very little batting to do.Fleming conceded that the game’s tactics were a mixed bag.

He (Dube) should come on if you manage to get through the first six overs and then the spinners come on. The next issue is that the left-right combination bowled well and included Jadeja, who was given a positive role. Maybe we can talk about it and work things out the other way around, Rizvi. Once more, he is confident and has demonstrated good six-shooting ability. However, young players must master a temperamental aspect of it. Mitchell is the casualty as he moves down the order. We discovered during the first round of the tournament that players such as Moeen and MS have the ability to advance the game if it drops too low.The window closed there, but winning that match was more about using our strategy—breaking their spinners apart—than anything else.

At Chepauk, the dew factor was a major impact once again, but the absence of CSK’s two top bowlers of the season also hurt them. Tushar Deshpande was ruled out with the flu, and Matheesha Pathirana had to take time off owing to a niggle. Richard Gleeson, the team’s most recent acquisition, made his debut and had a great game, especially with the new ball. Nevertheless, Deshpande and Pathirana, who have had a significant impact on the team at various points, CSK missed them.

Even worse, with just two deliveries bowled, Deepak Chahar hobbled off, leaving Chennai short-handed in an already challenging bowling environment. After the next game, Mustafizur Rahman will depart for national duties.  So CSK’s bowling reserves will put to the test. Fleming conveyed his dissatisfaction with the current situation. He disclosed that the initial indications of Chahar’s injury appeared concerning for the pacer.

Deepak Chahar is not attractive. Although the initial feeling wasn’t favorable, we’re now hoping that the physiotherapist and doctor will find something positive. The boys from Sri Lanka are leaving for their visa application. Let’s hope everything goes well and they return in time for the upcoming match in the north. One of the pluses was Gleeson’s performance. It is unfortunate to lose Fizz (after the following game), as there are many things going on. Tushar was absent today due to a mild case of the flu. So that’s part of it, but we also had to make some adjustments. They simply haven’t had enough game time to feel at ease in their responsibilities, but we have the resources.

The captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, also expressed the coach’s views about the vulnerable bowling assault that CSK faced that particular evening. Losing Chahar was the final straw for the team, as the soapy conditions on offer made the spinners insignificant. The dew factor and a below-par score already stacked the odds against them. Despite being much below his best during his 48-ball 62, Gaikwad bemoaned the stark difference in conditions between the two innings. The opening scorer claimed that CSK was much below par. But he also believed that given the way the surface performed in the first half, it was nearly impossible to attain that total.

The pitch wasn’t fantastic when we batted, but it became better later on. We were probably 50–60 runs short. We fell short of the impact rule as well. I’ve become better at tossing during practice. But I’m not sure what to do when it comes to the actual game. To tell the truth, when I get to the middle (for the toss), I feel under pressure. Given the circumstances, it also taken aback us because we defeated SRH by a significant margin in the most recent game (winning by 78 runs). The pitch and conditions were better in the last two games.

I believe allowed us to fight hard and reach 200+. But today’s circumstances weren’t good enough to reach even 180. There are times when you need wickets but only have two bowlers because the dew eliminated the spinners. So it’s a serious issue (with the player out due to injury and Chahar leaving in the first over). It was difficult, but we still had four games to go, so we’ll strive to resume our winning ways.