Fleming calls on RPS to do 'little things' better

Stephen Fleming, the head coach of Rising Pune Supergiants, believes his team can qualify for the IPL playoffs depite languishing near the bottom of the table.

Published : May 09, 2016 18:13 IST , Visakhapatnam

Stephen Fleming (right) refused to accept that there was anything wrong with the Rising Pune Supergiants' bowling attack.
Stephen Fleming (right) refused to accept that there was anything wrong with the Rising Pune Supergiants' bowling attack.
lightbox-info

Stephen Fleming (right) refused to accept that there was anything wrong with the Rising Pune Supergiants' bowling attack.

Rising Pune Supergiants head coach Stephen Fleming believes that his team despite being placed sixth in the points table after 10 games still has an outside chance of making it to the playoffs.

Speaking to the media on the eve of the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Monday, Fleming said that it has been a bit frustrating to be in the current position as RPS has lost four last-over games. “If they can do the little things better they can still make it to the knockout phase by crossing the line in a couple of games from now on,” he said. “We have been in a similar position earlier and we know what the challenges will be,” he added.

Commenting on the spate of injuries, Fleming also revealed that it was always a difficult to see the four first choice players miss the competition. “Even now, MS (Dhoni) has a sore back. But, should be fine,” he added.

Questioned as to why star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is not bowling his full quota of overs, the Supergiants coach said that given the number of seasons they had played together in different formats, both in the IPL and for India, there are no issues in terms of relationship between MS (Dhoni) and Ashwin.

“But, when it comes to giving the full quota of overs or not to Ashwin, it all depends on the playing conditions and also the batting order. And, as far as cricketing sense is concerned, then it is MS who takes the final call,” Fleming commented.

Talking about Bangladesh left-armer Mustafizur Rahman, the former New Zealand captain remarked that he will be a threat in Tuesday's game. “He is a sensation. He has all the skills and looks a very good bowler,” he added.

However, Fleming refused to agree that the bowling is the weak link in his team. “I don’t think so. Well, the other night against RCB we were up against a one-man band of Kohli. On the other hand, it has been the batting which has been a bit brittle in a couple of games,” he said.

“So, essentially, we need to improve in a couple of areas and definitely look to combine both bowling and batting for better results,” Fleming said.

The Supergiants coach also made it clear that the team was not going to ask for any more replacements since it was too late. It would rather look to domestic talent for the right replacements.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment