Stephen Fleming‘s statement that they have been given “no home advantage” in Chepauk has left former Chennai Super Kings star Cheteshwar Pujara “quite surprised.”
Although the ball “skidded on a bit more” in the first half when CSK bowled, Pujara believed the surface used for Friday’s match between CSK and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) provided greater assistance for spinners in the second innings.
On ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut, Pujara stated, “It is [surprising] because at CSK you can’t complain, it’s one franchise where they’ve been preparing pitches according to their strengths,” following RCB’s 50-run home loss to CSK, which made it two victories in two. “You should [use home advantage]; I’m shocked if he’s claiming that [there is no home advantage] they have no say.
Regarding MI, CSK, and KKR, I don’t believe that’s the case [that they aren’t receiving the pitches they request]. I can still understand any other franchise. They make sure they get what they want with those [three] franchises. When they play at home, they are at their best.
The strategy used by CSK to bat Sam Curran ahead of Shivam Dube and R Ashwin ahead of MS Dhoni, who entered at No. 9 with the chase all but over and CSK requiring 98 off 28, was one of the main talking points of their chase. With CSK needing 67, Dhoni scored 16 runs (two sixes and a four) off Krunal Pandya in the penultimate over to finish with 30 off 16.
“There is a lot of concern [in the batting line-up outside of Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad] because their middle order will have to click at some point,” Pujara stated. “They must begin scoring runs as soon as possible. Their middle order is crucial to them.
“Yes, their top order is their strongest suit, but the middle order must step up when they don’t play well, and they don’t seem fully prepared for that. Better surfaces appear to be necessary for them to regain their form and perform effectively when they resume playing at home.
Pujara was more upset by CSK’s defeat strategy than by the actual result. He stated, “There’s a lot to learn for CSK,” “I have participated in the franchise. Fans of CSK would be quite disappointed today. They will have a lot of dents in the dressing room because of the way they lost this game, but you tend to lose.”
“Conway for Dube batting higher and Curran.”
Former England opener Nick Knight believed that by splitting up a “tried-and-tested” opening duo of Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad, CSK was attempting to fix something that wasn’t broken. Rahul Tripathi opened with Rachin Ravindra, and Gaikwad batted at No. 3 in the first two games. Gaikwad has batted in the second over of the two games thus far.
Devon Conway would be in my top order. Knight remarked, “I’m shocked that he’s not playing.” “I would play both Rachin and Conway. Sam Curran will be left out. Gaikwad and Conway at the top seem tried and tested, in my opinion. Conway has an excellent record when you look at it, albeit I’m not claiming it’s correct.
“Rachin is more than capable of batting at number three. From there, you work your way down. The only issue with that is that Dhoni might have to bat at number seven, which he occasionally finds difficult to do and prefers to bat lower. They should move him to No. 7 because he has made 30 of 16 and performed a fantastic stumping.
Knight felt that Dube’s role in CSK’s batting lineup needed to be reconsidered immediately. Dube made 19 off 15 on Friday, coming in at No. 6, below Curran. Since the IPL 2023, Dube has demonstrated a tendency to take down spin, striking at 169.71 against this variation. During CSK’s 2023 title run, this aspect was one of their X factors.
“Why didn’t Dube bat higher? When he emerged before Curran, I was taken aback,” Knight remarked. “Dube was simply kept back because they needed something to give them energy and drive in their run chase because they were so far down in the game at that point. He came in as a replacement player and I watched him destroy the England attack a couple of months ago [in a T20I series].
“I must be seeing things a little differently if that man is unable to accomplish that in this tournament. In my opinion, Dube has the ability to seize this chance, dominate the middle overs, dominate the middle portion of that innings, advance his game, and lead the team. It’s a respectable lineup if you choose Conway, Gaikwad, Ravindra, Hooda, Dube, Jadeja, and Dhoni.
India
