We’re batting first a lot, which makes it difficult to gauge what competitive score is: Stephen Fleming

Stephen Fleming (Photo Source: Twitter)

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming rued the lack of consistency in the surfaces at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 after Punjab Kings (PBKS) got the better of the Men in Yellow by seven wickets on Wednesday, May 1.

This season, the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium has provided some high-scoring pitches as well as some traditional ones that have assisted the spinners. Fleming was frustrated with the unpredictability of the pitches on offer at CSK’s home ground and admitted that his team couldn’t assess the ideal score on the red-soil surface quickly enough on May 1. However, he didn’t forget to acknowledge Punjab Kings for their clinical display and resounding victory.

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“We have spoken about the unpredictability of wickets (in Chepauk). Today the first ball bounced and hit Jinks (Rahane) in the helmet. Just trying to get a gauge on how it will play. Unfortunately, we’re batting first a lot, which makes it difficult to gauge what a competitive score is. We got a couple of 200s, so that was on the mind today but it was a bit sticky. What was a good start in the first six overs then became difficult… We tried with the lefties, obviously Dube and then Jadeja was also an aggressive role which didn’t work, and Rizvi as well. We just couldn’t get anything through the middle,” said Fleming at the post-match press conference as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Chennai decided to promote left-handed batters Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja up to No. 3 and No. 4, respectively to counter the Punjab spinners. However, the move didn’t pay dividends as Dube departed for a golden duck, while Jadeja was dismissed for 2.

“Dube was a big part of that (six-hitting) and losing him today with their spinners was a great wicket for them. In terms of a left-arm spinner and a leg-spinner, it was a great matchup for Dube. We have seen him do really well this season but they won that one nicely and that then created pressure on our ability to continue to hit sixes and it was tough. Another thing is that it is a biggish ground, so if there is any kind of assistance, it’s hard square-wise to get boundaries. And they bowled well, they protected it well. Made it difficult for us,” Fleming said.

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They were aggressive enough and we were a bit off as well: Stephen Fleming

The former New Zealand skipper admitted that Punjab were the more aggressive of the two sides on Wednesday. He noted that the Sam Curran-led side put the brakes in the middle overs and prevented the defending champions from getting to somewhere near the 180-run mark.

“They bowled really well, they got good purchase and held onto it. So three good factors. We just got stifled through the middle, which prevented us from getting a score of, 180? I don’t think that would have been enough. There is a small window where the ball is dry and sticks in the wicket. Again it gets tricky to hold the ball and execute variations. They did the job well, they were aggressive enough and we were a bit off as well. It is a disappointing day, but it’s part of the IPL and we were on the wrong side of it. We were inaccurate with the bat and ball to compete,”  Fleming concluded.