Follow UsChennai Super Kings were 115/2 at the end of the 13th in their first innings. Shivam Dube (45 off 24) and Ajinkya Rahane (35 off 30) were batting well, and a 180-plus total looked imminent.
That’s when Pat Cummins decided to bowl a slower bouncer to Dube, who was deceived by the pace of the ball and could only manage to give a simple catch to backward point. The pitch started to hold up quite a bit, and CSK’s innings never got the momentum their coach Stephen Fleming hoped to get.
“I thought the first ten overs we were in a good position. We were mindful that there had been some high scores on this ground, but today, it was on the slow side. In the last five overs, you have to give credit to how Hyderabad bowled. They turned the game, and in trying to push on and get to 180-190, we ran aground,” Fleming said in the post-match press conference.
SRH pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pat Cummins, and Jaydev Unadkat used the slower deliveries to great effect and gave only 28, 29 and 29 runs in their quota of four overs, respectively, picking a wicket each along the way. That made it quite hard for CSK batters to gain any sort of momentum in the latter half of their innings as all three and others in the SRH bowling attack kept banging the ball into the pitch.
Only Dube’s method worked, but after he was dismissed, it felt like CSK batters were trying too much but hardly getting any results.
“Maybe in hindsight, we could have powered down a little bit and look to knock it into the ground. But sometimes, in hindsight, you just have to say well bowled because they really shut us down in the last 5-6 overs. We tried to find a method on a really slow surface that held up, and it was a great finish for them.”
CSK were also handicapped due to the absence of Mustafizur Rahman and the slingy Pathirana for the game against SRH, and they had to play left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary, who went for 27 runs in the only over he bowled. SRH were 78/1 at the end of the six overs, which effectively ended the game there.
It didn’t matter at that point if CSK were 15 runs short. SRH were well and truly ahead of the game, and would even have had a chance of chasing down 180 with ease, as they finished the game with 11 deliveries remaining.
“Managing players is again a part of the IPL and when you find yourself a little bit short on firepower, it’s about finding a new hero. It didn’t happen today, and we put the trust in the players we introduce.”
“It was a tough baptism as the first 5-6 overs were the best to bat, and the aggressive way they batted showed that. Maybe we were 15 short and not quite accurate the first six overs with the ball.”
After the SRH powerplay onslaught courtesy of Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 37 off just 12, CSK did make a slight comeback as the pitch slowed down, but it was quite late by then.
“We fought back very well, and it was a tricky pitch to play once you found the right pace to bowl on. It created a little bit of pressure, but the damage was done early on.”
“Partly it was pressure from their batting, and partly it was lack of execution from us. We played the first 12-13 overs quite well, but it’s the back end that hurt us and the first six overs with the ball.”
CSK play their next game against KKR on April 08.