Two consecutive defeats have left Chennai Super Kings reeling and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is contemplating rejigging the combination, saying they are lacking steam and need to come back with a clearer picture for the next IPL games.
“I don’t think it was a good game for us. There was no dew, but the wicket did slow down. We are lacking a bit of steam in the batting and that hurts. The run rate keeps on mounting after such slow starts and adds pressure, we need to figure that out,” Dhoni said after the match against Capitals on Friday night. “We need to come back with a clearer picture, looking at the combination. Maybe, the team balance will get better once (Ambati) Rayudu comes back in the next game.”
Rayudu, who struck a brilliant 48-ball 71 in CSK’s five-wicket win over MI in the tournament-opener, missed the next two games due to a hamstring injury.
The CSK captain expressed hope that Rayudu will be available in their next game.
“That will give us the room to experiment with an extra bowler perhaps. There are quite a few things we can think about. We are one batter extra to start off, so the players need to step up.”
Dhoni also asked his bowlers to pull up their socks after two ordinary outings.
“We need to get better with our lengths, lines and pace. I think the spinners have not come to the party yet. We are bowling good deliveries, but we are giving away the boundary deliveries bit too often,” he said.
Spin bowling has been traditionally CSK’s strength but struggling at the moment, prompting head coach Fleming to say it was an area of concern.
“Yeah, it’s an area of concern, because it’s been such a strength for CSK, and you’ve got to think that the style of play that we’ve developed over the last 12 years is heavily based on spin. So what we’re trying to do is find a different personality.
“Spin still plays a part, and we’ve played on three different grounds, so each game has been different conditions. We’re struggling to adjust to find the pace and the style to bowl through the middle, and that, in the last two games in particular, has been an area where we haven’t done so well. So from a strength to an area of concern, we need to rectify that.”
Asked about the possible team combination in the upcoming matches, Fleming said, “All bets are on the table at the moment as we try to find a way. We are looking forward to playing a number of games here (in Dubai), we were interested in how this pitch played, and get conditions right so we can get right combination.”
Barring some fielding lapses, Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer was happy with the performance of his side so far.
“I am really happy with the performance. I would give them the benefit of doubt, is tough to catch in these conditions. You misjudge the ball, really don’t know how to pace yourself,” he said.
Shimron Hetmyer grassed two chances but it did not hurt the team much.
“In the team meeting we decided that we are going to assess the batting conditions early and then play accordingly. The way the openers started, gave us a lot of confidence and the finish was good too.