CSK down on confidence, playing with very conservative approach: Michael Clarke
CHENNAI: The five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings are low on confidence and adopting a conservative approach this season, according to former Australia captain Michael Clarke.
CSK suffered their fifth defeat in six matches after posting their lowest-ever total at home and losing to Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets on Friday.
“(The) wicket looked quite tough to bat on. There was a little bit of movement with the new ball and certainly some spin. I think Chennai Super Kings got their plan wrong,” JioStar expert Clarke said.
“The way they went about it, it's clear they're down on confidence and their intent… well, there was no intent.
“At the moment, it seems like a very conservative approach, just trying to get close to winning or avoid a big defeat. Instead, they should throw it all on the line, risk everything, and try to win the game. That kind of change is easier said than done,” he added.
Clarke admitted that turning around the team's fortunes is no easy task once a losing momentum sets in.
“Just like a good, confident feeling can become infectious in a winning dressing room, the same applies when you're losing. That losing feeling lingers, and it's hard to get rid of sometimes,” he said.
Meanwhile, former India spinner Piyush Chawla praised Sunil Narine for consistently troubling batters with his variations.
“It's been so many years, and yet batters still struggle to read Sunil Narine. These kinds of surfaces really suit his bowling because he's never too full, never too short,” Chawla said.