Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming on Thursday explained their turnaround after finishing 7th in the points table last season. He said how they chose to focus on the positives after they now they have made it to the record 11th playoffs.
“We were really proud of the way we finished. We won the last 4 games in a row and started to get a little bit of rhythm together. In the first half of the tournament, a number of things went wrong. Our form and confidence were really low but the way we finish was really encouraging and gave us the look of what we could be,” Fleming said in the post-match conference.
“We sat down and analysed to get competitive and took confidence out of it and knew it was just a couple of positions that might make a bit balanced side. Just trying to create a balanced side that would suit us. It was just about creating an environment that was positive and making sure there was no doubt,” he stressed.
Speaking about the possible changes for upcoming matches, Fleming ruled out the possibility of fielding a number of youngsters.
“We have got an opportunity to manage workloads. We have afforded that luxury but we won’t be too experimental,” he said.
Fleming also cherished the idea of allrounders Sam Curran and Dwayne Bravo giving their best in IPL 2021. At the same time, he was delighted with Dwayne Bravo’s resurgence as CSK allrounder.
“It was a really good competition between Dwayne Bravo and Sam Curran. It’s really good that players are competing for the all-rounder spot and getting the best of each other. Maybe, we can have an opportunity where they both play together. We are impressed with the way Bravo has addressed the challenge,” he said.
Fleming ruled out Suresh Raina’s lean patch and said that the team management trusts him to come good in upcoming matches.
“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 where can add strength. Suresh is an experienced player who is earned to have leeway and as the tournament goes on, his performance will improve,” Fleming signed off.
