M. S. Dhoni’s restoration from a calf pressure has been delayed because the niggle appears to have worsened throughout a warm-up fixture, Chennai Tremendous Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming revealed after the host sunk to an eight-wicket loss in opposition to the Gujarat Titans (GT) on the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
“He’s fairly eager (on returning to motion). The calf is a tricky one although. If he takes off and rips the calf once more, he shall be gone. We had pushed it early. In a warm-up recreation, he tweaked it once more; it’s my understanding. And since then, he has simply been working onerous to get some motion. However there was a setback. So, it has taken longer than we thought. He’s the information on this one. And he’s working onerous with the physio and doing all of the rehab. We’re simply ready for the phrase, actually,” Fleming mentioned through the press convention.
Though CSK misplaced, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad lastly acquired a fifty on the board, albeit it was the slowest by any batter during the last three years. Fleming, nevertheless, feels his 60-ball 74 must be seen in a distinct gentle. “He couldn’t use the tempo of the ball till concerning the full size of overs. It was an actual battle. Jason Holder was getting steep bounce. (Kagiso) Rabada was getting steep bounce. It was inconsistent. And he struggled. He needed to grind that out. So, it was a testomony actually to his grip simply to get a rating on the board.”
Even Holder heaped reward on Gaikwad’s knock. “That was a very good innings by him. He absorbed stress however acquired caught up within the again finish. Everybody can’t play like that clearly, nevertheless it’s a wicket the place in the event you exit entrance attempting to go too onerous, you may get your self in some bother,” the Barbadian fast-bowling all-rounder opined.
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Rabada was named the Participant of the Match for his three wickets, together with the scalp of the in-form Sanju Samson. Fleming felt the pitch aided the South African pacer to an amazing extent.
“The pitch performed a giant half. There was some inconsistent bounce. However Rabada is an impressive bowler. So he was at all times going to get some bounce. And he hit a superb size in the present day and simply put us underneath stress. It was troublesome. You possibly can go two methods. You possibly can assault it. (Urvil) Patel is at all times going to assault it. Sarfaraz (Khan) in all fairness aggressive, which is the pattern lately. And when that doesn’t work, you’ve simply acquired to absorb a little bit of stress. We simply couldn’t get it getting in time to get a rating that was going to be aggressive,” the Kiwi mentioned.
Fleming echoed Shivam Dube’s ideas, who felt 158 was “the most effective rating right here” through the mid-innings break. “We truly thought 160 was aggressive. However we simply couldn’t extract the identical quantity. Clearly, it dried out. There was a change. It was going to get slower. We simply couldn’t extract the identical kind of help as they did within the first 10 overs… I don’t wish to sound like I’m making too huge an excuse, however I simply suppose the primary 10 overs in the present day have been powerful when it comes to circumstances. That’s what we felt. We have been all it by means of a distinct lens.”
Holder additionally introduced his views on the pitch, which can have defined why the Titans’ captain, Shubman Gill, selected to bowl within the baking afternoon circumstances of Chepauk. “Once we began, we felt there was quite a bit within the wicket. There was quite a lot of moisture; the ball had some steep bumps as effectively up entrance, which actually helped our bowlers. Having mentioned that, CSK in all probability acquired caught between a rock and a tough place whereas attempting to clearly get some runs on the board, rating at an honest clip, but additionally not give the wickets away. My high bowlers have been excellent, each Rabada and (Mohammed) Siraj. It created quite a lot of issues for the CSK high order. It’s at all times a tough one while you’re attempting to get some runs on the board and maximise the PowerPlay.”
Printed on Apr 26, 2026