New Delhi, March 29 (IANS) Former Chennai Super Kings player Cheteshwar Pujara has expressed surprise at head coach Stephen Fleming’s recent claim that CSK has had no home advantage at Chepauk. Pujara, who has been part of the franchise in the past, found the remark unexpected, especially given CSK’s history of tailoring pitches to suit their strengths.
“It is surprising because at CSK, you can’t complain. It’s one of the few franchises that ensures the pitch plays to their advantage. If he’s saying they don’t have a say, then I’m quite surprised. Franchises like MI, CSK, and KKR make sure they get what they want when playing at home,” Pujara said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut after CSK suffered their heaviest home defeat – a 50-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday.
“If you speak about MI, CSK, KKR – I don’t think that’s the case (them not getting pitches they ask for). Any other franchise, I can still understand. Those (three) franchises make sure they get what they want. Their strength has been when they play at home.”
Pujara acknowledged that the pitch conditions at Chepauk differed between innings, with the ball skidding more in the first half and offering more assistance to spinners later. Despite this, he felt CSK should have capitalised better on their home conditions.
Another major talking point from the game was CSK’s unusual batting order. The decision to send Sam Curran ahead of Shivam Dube and Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of MS Dhoni raised eyebrows. Dhoni eventually came out to bat at No. 9 when the chase was virtually out of reach, requiring 98 off 28 balls. The veteran finished with an unbeaten 30 off 16, including two sixes and a four in the final over off Krunal Pandya.
Pujara emphasised that CSK’s over-reliance on their top order, particularly Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad is a cause for concern.
“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. They will have to start scoring runs quickly. They rely heavily on their middle order,” he said.
“Yes, their top order is their strength, but when they don’t perform well that’s the time the middle order has to step up, it doesn’t look like they’re completely ready for it. It looks like they’ll need better surfaces to get back into form and when they start playing at home again, they’ll be able to perform well,” Pujara added.
More than just the loss, Pujara believes the manner of CSK’s defeat could leave lasting damage. “There’s a lot to learn from this game. As someone who has been part of CSK, I can say that if you’re a fan, you’d be really disappointed. Losing is part of the game, but the way they lost today will put a lot of dents in the dressing room.”
–IANS
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