Navi Mumbai: Defending
champions Chennai Super Kings would need to lift themselves after a nightmarish
start to the season and play a "complete" game when they take on a
high-flying Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL here on Tuesday.
In words of head coach Stephen
Fleming, the team's self-belief is shaken after
four losses in a row.
The four-time champions
haven't played the cricket they are known for under skipper Ravindra Jadeja,
who has not been able to lead from the front.
The seniors in the team
including 'Thala' Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu and Dwayne
Bravo need to step up in this crisis situation.
CSK have only posted one 200
plus score so far while scoring sub-par totals in the other three games.
The CSK batters will have to
face a potent RCB bowling attack including the likes of spinner Wanindu
Hasaranga, David Willey and Mohammed Siraj.
Young Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has
had a miserable season so far, will need to step up and deliver and also
all-rounders Moeen Ali and Shivam Dube will have to take more responsibility.
Fleming admitted that the side
is facing two-fold problems -- unavailability of Deepak Chahar due to injury
and and a below-par show in all departments.
"There has been issues of
player availability and we have been pretty much below par in all departments
-- batting, bowling and fielding. We have been distant second in all games and
we need to improve in all departments - that's pretty much it," Fleming
had said summing up his team's show.
A buoyant RCB, however, are
ticking all the boxes.
Opener Anuj Rawat, who hit his
maiden IPL fifty, came to the party against Mumbai Indians, while Virat Kohli
also got much needed runs.
Skipper Faf Du Plessis can
take any attack to cleaners and the top-three too are in good form.
Dinesh Karthik is the firing
finisher for RCB and engineer-turned cricketer Shahbaz Ahmed has also impressed
with his batting so far.
Apart from veteran Dwayne
Bravo, CSK bowlers have been way off the mark.
They need to get the bowling
combination right having tried many options.
Another key weak-link is Mukesh Choudhary, who has been leaking runs. Unless CSK find the right combination, RCB would be expected to run away with the game. (PTI)
No comments:
Post a Comment