CSK coach Stephen Fleming accepted that playing with the batting order is not one of their styles or an approach to play the IPL. However, he did accept that the absence of Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu has made their batting order take a toll in the opening week of the IPL.
Fleming’s remarks came after CSK struggled to challenge Delhi capital’s score of 175 in Dubai on Friday. A 44-run loss by the hands of Delhi who were sent to bat after Dhoni sent them to bat. Yet again, CSK’s batting lacked lustre and it hit them on their face as the batting department has always been CSK’s strongest department over the years.
It has also been the main ingredient of the team’s success but with a new batting order, absence of senior players like Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina, the number three and four spots that usually build the tempo of the game have lost all their credibility. The team fails to impact heavily in the powerplay, consequently putting up low scores after the first ten overs.
This aggravates the already mounting pressure on the lower middle-order batsman and with Dwayne Bravo’s absence, even that area is a concern for the team. The openers especially Murali Vijay has failed to have any influence on the game while the CSK spinners who are known to break the backbone of the opposition’s middle order are going for 40+ runs.
That is exactly what the CSK head coach felt. Fleming said, “We are missing some key players and we’re trying to find a balance that makes us competitive. Our batting line-up, without Rayudu and Raina, we are trying to find a way or a combination on how to use players. We give players opportunities early on so we know exactly what we have got as the tournament goes on.”
“We have got too many batting options. But we are a little bit muddled. SO we need to be a little clearer with what we’re doing.”
featured image credits- dnaindia.com
