Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming rued the absence of Brendon McCullum for the play-offs but showed full faith in Michael Hussey to come good. Asked how big an impact McCullum’s absence would be, the former New Zealand captain didn’t mince a word to praise the current captain. “It’s huge because he’s an excellent player,” said Fleming.
“We introduced Michael Hussey in the last game and although he didn’t get a huge contribution, we support him. “Dwayne Smith has been in terrific form. We would’ve liked to give Hussey more time to settle in but we wanted that final win to have the luxury of giving players some game time.
“I’m very confident about Hussey as he’s been a very consistent performer for us over the years. The way he has trained suggests he’s still got hunger,” he added. McCullum has travelled to England to be part of the national team which plays two Tests, five ODIs and one T20 series starting Thursday.
With McCullum gone, the pressure will be on other batsmen including captain MS Dhoni, Dwayne Smith, Hussey, Suresh Raina and Faf du Plessis to deliver. Fleming singled out Raina as one who could make the difference.
“By his lofty standards, a big one is due. He’s been striking the ball and getting good knocks. His last knock (41 not out against KXIP) was good as he saw the team through. And he likes playing at this ground. He loves the big occasions and he’s one player we are banking on to deliver. He’s done it numerous times for us.”
With Mumbai playing Chennai in their own backyard, it has a feel of home and away game rather than a neutral venue. “It’s going to be very difficult because it’s like an away game for us and a home game for Mumbai. It’s not a neutral venue. We just have to be smart and back ourselves. It’s a great occasion and we need to lift ourselves for the tough one.
“Considering we are going to play the game at Mumbai’s home ground, the task has just gotten harder for us,” he added. With four matches left in the tournament, Fleming conceded the difference between the eventual winner and the other three will come down to small margins.
“We saw David Warner slip on the boundary (for Sunrisers against RCB in the group stage game on Friday) and it cost his side a place in the play-offs. In the knock-outs, it could be one ball or one boundary that separates you from winning the title and going home. Having come thus far, I think there are still couple of more twists left. The team that deals with the pressure and the individuals who stand make the difference,” he concluded.