The Chennai Super Kings had a happy home-coming at the Chepauk Stadium on Monday after beating the Lucknow Super Giants by 12 runs in a high-scoring Indian Premier League match. The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led outfit put up a total of 217/7 in the first innings after being sent in to bat by KL Rahul at the toss, and then defended the total by restricting LSG to 205/7.
It was a good pitch to bat on, but former India captain Dhoni later asserted that there was an element of doubt as to how it would hold up.
“It was a terrific game, a high-scoring game. We were all thinking about how the wicket will be, that was one of the questions we had. We’ve haven’t been practicing for quite some time and we had that doubt. It was a high scoring game, the opposition also scored runs. Overall, it was a perfect game that could have happened. Not to forget it’s the first full-house game in the last 4-5 years that we’ve played at home,” Dhoni said during the post-match presentation.
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“I thought it would be much slower, so I felt it would be somewhere we could score runs. In the second innings they were able to play the big shots. I was surprised by the wicket, but you have to see the next six home games, whether game after game we can come up with a wicket like this, that’ll be crucial to see.”
Ruturaj Gaikwad continued where he left off from after that impressive 92 from 50 on the opening night against the Gujarat Titans, to score a solid 57 off 31 against LSG – an innings peppered with three boundaries and four sixes. He was well supported by opening partner Devon Conway who scored 47 off 29.
Later during the innings, Dhoni himself played a crowd-pleasing, albeit short cameo. He dispatched two sixes off the first two deliveries he faced – the second one an 87 meter-strike over mid-wicket. He was caught out on the third ball he faced while aiming to strike another shot over the ropes.
“I always feel it’s important to get the most. The only reason we scored that much is because the surface is nice, even if the opposition has not bowled at their best,” said the 41-year-old.
“Still, you’ll score 180 runs – 180 is a nice score. But if you score 200, that means the wicket is on the better side. At that time, it’s usually one hit or two hits that matter at the end. I felt the more we could get the better.”
In the second innings, Kyle Mayers did provide strong resistance by scoring 53 off 22, but CSK did manage to keep the run chase largely in check. Still, there were areas that Dhoni claimed needed swift improvement.
“It’s the fast bowling that needs to improve. Maybe they need to bowl according to the conditions. Even if it’s on the flatter side, have fielders and bowl into the areas where you’re pushing the batters to hit over the fielders. It’s important to keep an eye, especially when we’re batting, about what the opposition bowlers are doing, so it gives you an idea about what can be done. ‘What can be my plan, according to the strength I have or the pace I have.’ I feel that’s important,” Dhoni added.
Dhoni was also critical of the excessive extras that were handed to LSG – extras that also accounted for slower over-rates.
Deepak Chahar gave away five wides, Tushar Deshpande bowled five wides and three no balls, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar gave three wides.
“They’ll have to bowl no no-balls and less wides. We’re bowling too many extra deliveries. Or they’ll have to be ready to play under a new captain at some point of time, you know, it’ll be my second warning and I’ll be off.”
CSK next travel to the Wankhede Stadium to take on Mumbai Indians on April 8.