CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings will bank on home advantage when they face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the MA Chidambaram stadium here. Having lost their previous game to LSG at Lucknow, CSK will look to get back to their winning ways.
CSK have always performed as a unit at Chepauk and Morne Morkel, bowling coach of the LSG, is aware of this. “CSK are a tough team to beat and to play back to back you know, we’ll have to be streetwise (smart). I thought the other day in Lucknow we did the basics really well and for me that’s going to be the key message. And a quick turnaround, to have the same hunger, that intensity to execute and do the basics well,” said Morkel. “It’s a ground where the margins are very small. They’ve got dangerous hitters at the back-end which we all know very well. So for us, we need to assess the conditions quickly, have the intensity from ball one going, because we can’t allow Chennai to have a good platform because they’re just so powerful back end,” he added.
In the last game at Lucknow, KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock put up a record opening partnership which proved to be the difference. All the CSK bowlers went for runs and Moeen Ali, who just gave 5 runs in one over, was not not given another chance to bowl. After the loss many experts had faulted CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for not giving Moeen another chance to bowl. But Mike Hussey, the batting coach of CSK, insisted that Ruturaj takes decisions on his own and was doing a good job as captain.
With Rahul and de Kock in good touch, CSK openers (Rachin Ravindra/Ruturaj/Ajinkya Rahane) must get their act going.
Full story: newindianexpress.com