Chennai Super Kings’ bowlers put out yet another spectacular performance to keep the SRH batters at bay. The eventually got restricted to a score of just 134 inside 20 overs. While Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the bowlers for his excellent three-wicket-haul, Caribbean veteran Dwayne Bravo also caught the eye with yet another delightful spell.
The right-arm medium-pacer gave away just 17 runs in his four over and also picked up a couple of important wickets, dismissing Kane Williamson and Priyam Garg. Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming who has worked with Dwayne Bravo a long time now called him a ‘champion’ and praised his bowling at the death. He also mentioned that there is a strong competition for the pace-bowling all-rounder’s slot in the CSK lineup with Sam Curran also proving his worth time and again.
“There is some good competition for that place with Sam Curran. Sam was excellent for us in the first part and Dwayne Bravo has come back now the champion he is. So there is some really good competition around that allrounder’s spot.
We are really impressed with the way Bravo has responded to the challenge and he is back to his best. His bowling at the death has been outstanding,” said Stephen Fleming after the match.
With over 5525 runs to his name, Suresh Raina is among the highest scorers in the history of the Indian Premier League. However, after not appearing in the IPL last season, the 2021 season has been a bit of a disaster for Raina when it comes to personal returns with the bat. CSK’s ‘Chinna Thala’ has managed just 157 runs in 11 games at an average of 19.62 and at a strike rate of 127.64. He has also crossed the 50-run milestone only once all season.
Speaking about Raina, Fleming mentioned that there is a clear role assigned to the experienced campaigner in the CSK side. The side values the experience that Raina brings to the table and he can afford to take his time. Fleming also expressed confidence that Raina’s form will improve as the tournament progresses.
“We have a pretty clear role for him. He has got an optimal time. We want him to bat and we’ve afforded the luxury of a player coming and being aggressive. So, just getting the timing right without managing the batters. We value his experience and everything has got a part to play in the middle. It’s an area which can add strength.
Suresh is an experienced player who is earned to have leeway and as the tournament goes on, his performance will improve. We have got an opportunity to manage workloads. We have afforded that luxury but we won’t be too experimental,” concluded Stephen Fleming.
