NEW DELHI: A few seasons back, when Chennai Super Kings were losing from strong positions, coach Stephen Fleming had lost his cool and blasted his team for the timid losses. This had immediate impact as Chennai won the next five games and qualified for the last four.
In a similar outburst after the one-run defeat against Bangalore, Fleming criticised his team’s top-order for not playing to potential. He went to the extent of saying that if that became the pattern, Chennai had no chance of winning the title.
This prompted the players to ponder what was going wrong. Shot selection and lack of confidence were identified as the problems. That sorted, runs came in fours and sixes on Tuesday, as Shane Watson and Suresh Raina helped the team post a six-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Chasing 176, Chennai had a bad start as Faf du Plessis was run out. Thereafter, Watson and Raina showed some pluck and combined well to give the hosts a good platform.
Raina, who drew a lot of criticism for not taking more responsibility, was at his attacking best. His shot selection was better and played with confidence. He singled out Sandeep Sharma for special treatment and scored 22 runs in an over.
Watson was at his vintage best, picking the length early and timing the ball perfectly. He played all the bowlers effortlessly and hit boundaries at will. He added 45 off 22 balls for the second wicket with Raina and with Rayudu, added 80 in 43 balls for the third wicket.
AB de Villiers, while analysing Chennai’s record at Chepauk, had said that the fans form a fortress and their enthusiasm propel MS Dhoni and Co to produce their best at home. This was on display as Chennai dismissed the in-form Jonny Bairstow in the second over.
But this joy was short-lived as David Warner and Manish Pandey combined in a rescue act. They helped the visitors make 175/3. Warner was troubled initially by Deepak Chahar but gained composure and started playing his natural game. Pandey, replacing skipper Kane Williamson who returned to New Zealand due to personal reasons, gave a good account of himself. His drive off Harbhajan and a flick showed his intent.
“Manish made good use of the opportunity and played brilliantly. This innings should give him confidence and it will create more opportunities for him to play,’’ said former India spinner Raghuram Bhat.