Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni has come under the scanner after scoring 18 runs from 27 balls against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday (October 4). While he faced a lot of criticisms, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming backed him.
After the game, Fleming revealed how MS Dhoni was not the only batsman who struggled. He said that the conditions were difficult to bat and both sides struggled to do well. He also shared that they fell short about 10-15 runs in the crucial match.
“MS Dhoni wasn’t the only one who struggled. It was a difficult day for strokeplay. I think it was a tough wicket to score big on in terms of the big shots. Both teams struggled with that towards the end of the innings. Sometimes you set your sights too high, and probably we were only 10-15 runs short of having a match-winning score,” he added.
“So, the difficulty at the moment is to assess what the conditions are in all three different grounds and, batting first, getting a score that is par or just above. It was no lack of intent, it was just we had to stabilise after a couple of mistakes and then we were reasonably well-placed for 150. The other thing was their attack bowled very well in the last five overs. They were very smart, so it was tough going,” Stephen Fleming continued.
“We failed to accelerate” – MS Dhoni after defeat against DC
However, CSK has managed to put up only 136 runs after being put in to bat first. The key batsman Ambati Rayudu scored an unbeaten knock of 55. Delhi, however, won the game by three wickets as well.
“We were looking to get closer to 150. After we lost a few wickets, around the 15-16th over mark the platform was nice. We failed to accelerate. I thought it was a tough pitch. Anything close to 150 would’ve been a good score. It’s a two-paced wicket. It’s not like it slowed down drastically. Can’t just play your shots. That’s what the Delhi batters also faced. The taller bowlers were getting movement. It was a very good effort to make a game out of it. Was important not to give too many in the first six. Was one expensive over in the first six, but when quality players are batting it can happen,” MS Dhoni said after the match.
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