On Monday, MS Dhoni, the captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), brought up an important point about the quality of pitches in the IPL. He expressed a desire for better wickets that would encourage batsmen to play more freely because nobody wants to resort to playing safe or timid cricket. Dhoni was specifically referring to the pitch at their home ground, Chepauk, which used to be a reliable fortress for CSK but has become quite a challenge for them this season.
After a tough stretch where they lost five matches in a row, CSK finally broke that streak by defeating the Lucknow Super Giants. Dhoni played a crucial role in that victory, scoring 26 runs in just 11 balls to help his team clinch the win. After the match, he noted, One of the reasons for our struggles could be the slower nature of the Chennai pitch. When we played away games, our batting seemed to improve. It might be beneficial for us to play on pitches that allow batters to feel more confident and take their shots. We certainly don’t want to keep playing shy cricket.
Dhoni also pointed out that while the bowling unit has performed reasonably well, there’s still room for improvement in the batting department. Winning that match was important for morale, he mentioned. “It feels good to get a win. In a tournament like this, every victory counts. The previous matches hadn’t gone our way for various reasons, but it’s nice to finally have a win under our belt. It boosts the entire team’s confidence and allows us to focus on areas that need work.”
On the other side, Rishabh Pant, the captain of the Lucknow Super Giants, was also trying to get back into the groove after a rough patch of form. He scored 63 runs off 49 balls in this match, and after the game, he said he’s gradually finding his rhythm. “I’m feeling better with every game, but there are days when it just doesn’t work out. I’m taking it one match at a time and trying to keep improving,” he explained.
Pant also addressed a decision that raised some eyebrows: he chose not to bowl Ravi Bishnoi, his best bowler for the day, during the final over. “We talked about bringing him back, but it just didn’t fit into our plans at the moment,” he clarified. Despite some recurring issues with their bowling during the early stages of the game, Pant believes the team can bounce back from setbacks and learn from each match.
Reflecting on the game, he felt they may have fallen short by about 10 to 15 runs on a pitch that wasn’t easy to bat on. “We definitely felt that we were a bit light on runs. We kept losing wickets when we had a bit of momentum, and that really hurt us. We needed to focus on building partnerships. The wicket was a bit tricky, but I believe if we had played a little smarter, we could have managed 15 runs more.” Overall, both captains had their thoughts on the game, and while CSK celebrated a welcome win, LSG was left contemplating what could have been.
