CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings are a team that generally has a sedate start, peaks at the right time to make it to the playoffs. But with a ninth-finish season and with all the teams having a new-look squad, CSK needs to put behind the loss against Gujarat Titans on Friday and move ahead. CSK coach Stephen Fleming, too, insisted that his team could have performed better against Gujarat, adding that the team would perform better in the coming matches.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made 92 off just 50 balls was the star performer for CSK in the season opener. But the rest of the team could not rally around him and make good contributions. “We thought we were a little bit short. Ruturaj played a great hand, but around him, we just didn’t capitalise on the couple of positions we got into. They (Gujarat) bowled well from 12 to 16 overs and we couldn’t get that final push that we needed. 180 is a good score, but we were in a position where we could have got 190-200 runs. We were probably a little bit match underdone,” said Fleming after his team’s defeat on Friday night.
There were some talks and concerns about Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni’s participation in the IPL 2023 opener against defending champions, but CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan had brushed aside the rumours and Dhoni did play in front of a packed Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday evening. However, during the match, Dhoni awkwardly landed on his injured knee and was then seen grimacing in pain. Dhoni, however, continued playing but the sight of that injury left many fans concerned.
Fleming explained that Dhoni was nursing from a sore knee during the pre-season days and what unfolded on Friday evening was mere cramps. “He (Dhoni) was always playing. Not sure where that story came from. He was nursing a sore knee throughout the month of pre-season, but on Friday it was just cramps, it wasn’t the knee. He’s not going to be as quick and nimble as he was 15 years ago but he is still a great leader of the side and even with the bat, he is still going to play a part. He knows his limitations and he is a valuable player to have on the field. He (Dhoni) is a legend,” clarified Fleming.
The New Zealander was all praise for fast bowler Rajvardhan Hangargekar, who made his IPL debut on Friday. The 20-year-old became CSK’s fourth youngest debutant and finished with figures of 4-0-36-3. He got the wickets of Wriddhiman Saha, Sai Sudharsan and Vijay Shankar. “There has been some big improvement. His first-class work has been a lot more consistent. There are areas he still needs to work on till you are comfortable. Playing in front of 100 thousand people on your debut is a big ask. He did well, but there were some lapses, which is going to come with a young player. But getting a game and getting some wickets under his belt is huge for him,” complimented Fleming.
Fleming also revealed that all-rounder Ben Stokes is making good progress from his knee injury. He, however, added that apart from nursing his injury, the England international also needs some time to get back his bowling rhythm.
Stokes played as a specialist batter for CSK against Titans. “He had a fair time off between the last Test match and getting here. And he had some medical work done on the knee. We want to do the right thing by making sure that he’s a 100 percent ready to go. He’s not there yet and that includes bowling form. We are working closely with him, but he’s making really good progress,’’ informed Fleming.