Chennai Super Kings stand on the verge of bowing out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after going down against Rajasthan Royals in Abu Dhabi. MS Dhoni & Co had a poor outing with the bat managing only 125 which turned out to be a walk in the park for Rajasthan.
Chasing a below-par total, Ben Stokes got Rajasthan Royals off to a flying start. He used the pace of the ball and pierced the gaps to score some quick runs. They raced to 26 runs within three overs before Deepak Chahar drew the first blood. From 26 for no loss to 28 for three, Rajasthan were suddenly under a lot of pressure.
However, skipper Steve Smith and Jos Buttler soaked in all the pressure to take their side home. Buttler was aggressive scoring 70 off 48 balls while Smith played the anchor role. They sailed past the target as MS Dhoni’s bowlers couldn’t step up to defend the small total.
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Earlier in the day, Chennai Super Kings started badly and never really recovered. One decent partnership, between MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, but that 51-run stand consumed 46 balls. Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia bowled extremely well to rest free flow of runs in the middle overs.
Jofra Archer had a poor day in the field, but his bowling was top-notch, young Kartik Tyagi bowled a good fourth over while Ben Stokes finished off things perfectly. Jadeja was the only batsman to show some intent, remaining unbeaten on 35 to help Chennai post 125 runs on the board.
We need to go back to the basics – MS Dhoni
Speaking at the end of the game, MS Dhoni said that there was no bite for the spinners in the second half. He also agreed that there was something on offer for the pacers which was utilised by Rajasthan Royals pacers.
“There was a bit for the fast bowlers. The reason I brought on Jadeja was to see how much it’s stopping. But it didn’t stop much. In the second innings, I think it got better because our spinners didn’t get the same bite,” MS Dhoni said.
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Adding further, MS Dhoni said that the result will give the youngsters some chance in the rest of IPL 2020. He also said that they need to do the basics right and follow the process to get the desired results back.
“It’s about going back to the process, and then see if the process is wrong. We play in front of millions of people so there is nothing to hide. We’re trying a few things. You don’t want to chop and change. Insecurity is something you don’t want to prevail in the dressing room.
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Fair enough, this season we weren’t really there. Also the youngsters, we didn’t see the spark to push the guys. But what this result has done is give those youngsters a chance in the rest of the tournament,” MS Dhoni concluded.