We were in control: Stephen Fleming on Chennai’s late finish – Cricket News Update
With the 26th match of the ongoing, 5th edition of the Indian Premier League, between defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals coming down to the wire with a last-ball finish in favor of the former, the Chennai coach,
Stephen Fleming remain unperturbed, stating that his men were in control of the game throughout.
“We should not have but we were always in control of things,” said Fleming, the New Zealand import, who also captained his national side.
The Rajasthan Royals setup a moderate 146-run total in Chennai, losing four wickets in the process. Rajasthan skipper, Rahul Dravid (26), was average in his knock, while youngster Ajinkya Rahane disappointed with only 15 runs. Australia’s Owais Shah and
home-grown Ashok Menaria scored 92 runs amongst themselves to take the side to 146, while four of Chennai’s bowlers returned with a wicket a piece.
Setting out to chase, Faf du Plessis and Suresh Raina were key for Chennai, scoring 73 and 26 runs respectively. However, with both dismissed in the 17th over by Kevon Cooper, leaving the team stranded at 117, Chennai really felt the pressure.
“It got tight in the end after we lost Suresh [Raina] and Faf [du Plessis] and they also bowled well. They did not give us any easy runs, especially Brad Hogg. They put a lot of pressure and the pitch was getting slower and lower. It was not easy to get
beneath the ball and clear the field. A few more runs and it would have been tighter,” shared the Chennai coach.
However, it was skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, known for his ability to effectively deal with pressure situations, who came to the rescue in testing times. The 30-year-old, alongside West Indian Dwayne Bravo, ran for a double on the last delivery to finish
the match on the dot, chasing the 147-run target.
Lauding Dhoni’s match finishing abilities, which have been witnessed many a times in his national and franchise outings, Fleming termed him a crucial player for the franchise, coming in handy when the need arose.
The Chennai side will be heading to Bangalore to face the Royal Challengers in their next match, scheduled for April 25, 2012.