Two men nursing diametrically opposite emotions — a consequence of their respective teams' fortunes — addressed the media after Chennai Super Kings' 13-run win over Pune Warriors, here on Thursday.
While Allan Donald, the bowling coach of Pune, was the diligent professional who wasn't “going to make excuses,” Man-of-the-match Nuwan Kulasekara (CSK) waded through questions with a shy, yet contented, smile.
“It was a very good pitch to bat on. With the new ball, there was a bit of movement off the seam,” said Kulasekara, who secured the vital wickets of openers Robin Uthappa and Jesse Ryder.
The Sri Lankan singled out fielding as an important reason for his team's victory. “The fielding was very good. Catches win matches and we have been practising hard over the last few days.”
Strangled by spin
Earlier, Donald said losing wickets at regular intervals thwarted Pune's chances. “Firstly, I believe in no explanations, no excuses. We always knew that one partnership or a couple of partnerships were going to do it, but we kept on losing wickets frequently. Chennai strangled us well with quite a bit of spin. The wicket was also a little bit on the slow side towards the end.”
Great blow
He also admitted that paceman Ashoke Dinda's absence due to injury was a blow.
“He was a great miss for us. AD is probably 5'5-5'6 (inches tall) but he's got one of the biggest hearts that I have seen.
“He is tough, and the way he's bowled in this IPL so far has been exemplary. He's going to play a big part for us.”
Donald said playing ‘away' games was a challenge and expected a stiff opposition from Delhi Daredevils, which Pune will meet on Saturday at the Ferozeshah Kotla.
“We always knew that going on the road was never going to be easy. And, also, playing teams of the calibre of Chennai and RCB. It was very disappointing how we finished the other night (against RCB).
“They (Delhi) have got a serious batting line-up, but we have got to find a way. We need to go away and do some soul-searching and some careful planning before we take them on.
“I really think we are a game away or a few overs away from stringing things together.”
