CHENNAI : For all the talk about the aura of invincibility they exude, Chennai Super Kings couldn’t have picked a worse time to start showing cracks: the business end. Even as MS Dhoni and his supercomputer of a brain went about almost achieving the impossible — never have 26 runs been scored in a final over to win an IPL match — against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday night, that chink became as glaring as it could get.
Yes, many tongues wagged about how those three refused singles may have been opportunities lost. But none really touched upon how those could have come off the blades of Chennai’s top-five batsmen. Barring Ambati Rayudu, the rest scored 10 off 28.That top-order wobble in Bengaluru was just another instance of the regular spurts of deja vu that Chennai fans have been experiencing. They slid to 27/3 against Rajasthan Royals, and in came Dhoni to rescue them.
They were again reduced to 24/4 against Bangalore, and in came Dhoni again to rescue them. They spiralled from 79/0 to 101/5 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. With no Dhoni to rescue them, they scored just 31 more in the next 32, and eventually lost.
And now, Bengaluru happened on Sunday; a loss that has extended Chennai’s wait for confirming a playoff spot. Even the best need a helping hand at times, but the Chennai skipper hasn’t been getting one. Barring him, no other batsman has crossed 300 this season. And even their strike rates have at least a 20-point rift as compared to Dhoni’s 137.11.
“Last year (Shane) Watson, Faf (du Plessis), (Ambati) Rayudu and (Suresh) Raina combined well. That’s why they won the title. This season, they have not gelled as a unit. They have been patchy. The problem is lack of patience and poor shot-selection. Even in the slam-bang version of the game, you need to have patience and wait for the right ball to attack,” remarked former India spinner and selector Venkatapathy Raju.
“Plus, Chennai’s top-order need to be more prudent in their shot-selection. They have the experience. What is required is for them to adopt the right method to exploit powerplays and later consolidate.”
Even Chennai coach Stephen Fleming acknowledged this problem after that one-run defeat. “We are being a bit reckless and that comes about from guys who want to find form and do the job. But what is happening is that we are relying heavily on Dhoni and Rayudu to patch things up. We won’t win the competition if this continues.”
Last outing for Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow and David Warner will turn out together for the last time in this IPL on Tuesday. The Englishman will leave for home after this match, for World Cup preparations. Warner will fly back to Australia at the end of this month. The two have been lethal up top for Hyderabad, notching up four century stands in this season, a record for any T20 league.