CSK had commenced the tournament with a win over defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in Abu Dhabi. However, the next two contests have not gone their way. Their openers Shane Watson and Murali Vijay have failed to give big starts and the middle order has wilted under pressure with the mounting required run rate.
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Explaining the reasons for the latest reversal against DC, Dhoni said after the match, “I don’t think it was a good game for us. There was no dew, but the wicket did slow down. We are lacking a bit of steam in the batting and that hurts. The run rate keeps on mounting after such slow starts and adds pressure, we need to figure that out. We need to come back with a clearer picture, looking at the combination.”
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“There are quite a few things we can think about. We are one batter extra to start off, so the players need to step up. We need to get better with our lengths, lines and pace. I think the spinners have not come to the party yet. We are bowling good deliveries, but we are giving away the boundary deliveries bit too often,” Dhoni, who scored 15 runs batting at No. 6,added.
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Now, CSK have a six-day break before they face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on October 2. Dhoni is expecting a better combination for that game and hinted at the injured Ambati Rayudu returning to the Playing XI.
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“We need to come back with a clearer picture, looking at the combination. Maybe, the team balance will get better once Rayudu comes back in the next game. That will give us the room to experiment with an extra bowler perhaps. There are quite a few things we can think about. We are one batter extra to start off, so the players need to step up,” he said.
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