STEPHEN FLEMING SAYS BATTING WILL BE CHENNAI SUPER KINGS’ STRENGTH AGAINST DECCAN CHARGERS

The Chennai Super Kings coach, Stephen Fleming said on Saturday that batting would be his side’s strength when they play Deccan Chargers at home on Sunday, May 1.

The Deccan Chargers have one of the best bowling attacks in the Indian Premiere League (IPL), including spearhead pacers from India and South Africa. However, Fleming was confident that the Dhoni-led Chennai side has the required firepower to counter the Indo-South African pace attack.

“Our top order is one of the biggest around and with Badrinath being in form. We've some wonderful Indian players along with Michael Hussey, so we're well-equipped to deal with any attack,” said the former New Zealand skipper while talking to the reporters at the pre-match media conference.

Naming the star performers of his side, Fleming said MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Albie Morkel are some of the biggest hitters in international cricket and the Kiwi thinks that the talent his team have got in their top six can outshine the top order of any other side.

The Deccan attack, which includes the likes of world’s number one bowler, Dale Steyn, and Ishant Sharma, played havoc against Kochi Tuskers Kerala on Wednesday, April 27, crushing them by 55 runs. Ishant Sharma was the star performer in Wednesday’s match, returning with stunning bowling figures of 5 for 12. Sharma was followed by Steyn who picked up three wickets.

Fleming said Chennai Super Kings’ defeat to Mumbai Indians last Friday, helped the team bring out a change in their attitude.

“The pleasing shift for me was the game against Mumbai,” said the New Zealander. “We got shown the standards of fielding in this competition and it was almost a challenge. The next two games we were outstanding. Once you set yourself a benchmark for yourself, it's very good.”

Earlier, the Vice Captain of Deccan Chargers, Cameron White said that his side had the required potential to upset Chennai. The Aussie all-rounder, however, did agree that the Super Kings would be a formidable side to defeat at home.

Read More

Ishant Sharma says Zaheer Khan helped him regain form

The gangly India pacer, Ishant Sharma has credited senior fast bowler, Zaheer Khan, for the development in his bowling line and length.

Defending a meager 20-overs total of 129 runs at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi, the 22-year old Delhi bowler, returned with stunning match figures of 5 for 12 to lead Deccan Chargers to an emphatic 55-run victory over Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

“I need to say thanks to Zaheer Khan because he told me to keep working hard on my fitness. Working with him is really tremendous for me", said Ishant while talking to the media reporters after the match.

It was Ishant’s first ever five-wicket haul in the T20 format of the game. He was awarded with the man of the match award for his startling spell. Five of the top six Kochi batsmen were removed by the six feet five inches tall Delhi pacer.

When asked what inspired him to make such an outstanding come back, the right arm medium pacer said, "It's not about inspiration. When we were sitting in the dressing room, we thought 130 is a good total. When RP's first ball hit the gloves (of Sunny Sohal), we thought we won't mind bowling first on this track".

The triumphant Deccan captain, Kumar Sangakkara, of Sri Lanka, expressed satisfaction over the total posted by his batsmen and said that they were confident of defending that run-a-ball run rate. He praised the new-ball duo of Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma for containing the opposition batsmen right from the start of their innings, as Kochi were reeling at 11 for six inside four overs.

The Deccan skipper also hailed team coach, Darren Lehmann, for helping the players develop confidence in themselves.

"He (Lehmann) has a lot of common sense when it comes to cricket, nothing flash, just go out there and hit your lengths. We need to keep playing good cricket", said Sangakkara.

The skipper of Kochi, Mahela Jayawardene said that they were well aware and of Deccan’s bowling strength. He singled out Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma for praise for their remarkable spells.

Jayawardene was also unhappy about the way the pitch behaved last night and said that the wicket had a bit more movement than they were expecting.

Read More

SANGAKKARA ASKS DECCAN BATSMEN TO RETHINK THEIR APPROACH

After facing two consecutive defeats in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Deccan Chargers captain, Kumar Sangakkara, has asked his batsmen to rethink their approach for a better performance in the remaining matches in the competition.

Sangakkara’s XI was thrashed by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the sixth match of the league. Chasing 164 for triumph at Eden Gardens, the Deccan batsmen were unable to deal with some quality bowling from the opposition, failing to build any big partnership.

After making a slow start, the Chargers lost quick wickets in the beginning and towards the end, which eventually left the side 9 runs short of the target.

Deccan Chargers have already tasted a defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals because of a terrible batting show from the side. Nonstop poor batting has been troubling the skipper, and he asked his batters to step forward and do the trick for the team.

"Our batsmen now have to start rethinking and attack slow bowlers", Sangakkara said about his batsmen’s slow approach against Knight Riders’ new ball bowlers.

The Chargers’ batsmen could not manage to make fluent runs against Kolkata’s left-arm seamer, Iqbal Abdulla, who eventually returned with outstanding figures of three for 24. "He (Abdulla) is not a bad bowler and he managed to bowl a couple of good overs at the start. We need to bat a bit smarter. A few less mistakes would have got us over the line", said the former Sri Lankan One Day captain.

Although, Sangakkara admired Kolkata’s fine bowling, the captain regarded 164 as a gettable score on a pure batting track. The skipper found ‘losing wickets at regular intervals’, as a major source of Deccan’s defeat in the crucial game.

Sangakkara backed Ishant Sharma, who was lacklustre against the Riders. However, the skipper also showed his concerns over 15 extras, given away by his bowlers.

The Lankan wicket-keeper batsman, vowed that his side needs just one win to pick the winning tempo in the tournament and with the kind of bowling attack, Deccan Chargers have, that victory is not very far away.

"As a team we need just one win under our belt", Sangakkara put in plain words.

Read More