Chennai Super Kings has the men and means to counter everything Rajasthan Royals hurl at it at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in IPL 2018’s away match. Qulifying for the playoffs is not a matter of anxiety for the visitors, leaving captain M.S. Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming with the task of tying up loose ends and testing players in match situations. The home team, requiring to win every game from now on, will be in a different mindset.
Shane Watson had cracked a century in CSK’s 64-runs win at home base in Pune, when seven bowlers had teamed up to curtail RR batting ambitions. Wicket and weather conditions are different in Jaipur, with searing heat allowing slow bowlers to come into play. The SMS stadium outfield is a paler shade of green. Dust storms are common in these parts, a mild version blew across the city four days ago. For Dhoni, learning from losses is priority more than worrying about RR intentions.
CSK’s two recent defeats happened when defending modest totals against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens and against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium. Watson has played for RR earlier and along with experience, is useful for inputs to the team think tank. The bowling combination is work in progress and injuries, absentees, vacancies allowed new faces to be tried out in varied conditions.
Rajasthan’s Deepak Chahar, the only local player in the squad and recovering from a hamstring strain, trained with the squad and his fitness is being monitored. Stephen Fleming, the visitors’ coach dwelt on the tournament’s competitive element. “There are no easy matches in the IPL. You take your eye off the ball now and there is a possibility the games in the end will be difficult. We are looking to get better each time we step on the field and the policy will continue.”
For the home team, there is no option but to continue with the aggressive approach seen against Kings XI Punjab. New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi pointed out: “The game against Punjab was the only time we put together a complete show, the batting and bowling performing. That is the way forward.”
Taking the field on Friday night in a pink jersey as part of the ‘Cancer Out’ campaign, there will be no room for slip-ups. “We are responsible for the situation we are in. Chennai is a tough opponent, we need to keep playing aggressively.”
