CSK missed Dhoni, says SRH's Rashid Khan

The CSK skipper had a stiff back and was rested for the game against SRH and Chennai crumbled to a six-wicket defeat in the match.

Published : Apr 18, 2019 12:03 IST , HYDERABAD

Sunrisers Hyderabad's Jonny Bairstow celebrates his team's win over Chennai Super Kings.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's Jonny Bairstow celebrates his team's win over Chennai Super Kings.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad's Jonny Bairstow celebrates his team's win over Chennai Super Kings.

There is little doubt on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's finishing abilities. His presence in the Chennai Super Kings squad is crucial and the team might have missed the talisman tonight, feels Sunrisers Hyderabad leg-spinner Rashid Khan.

"He is always known for this ability and take the team to scores of 170-plus consistently," he said.

Rashid insisted that he will always try his best not just taking wickets or not. "I always target to be economical and bowl more dot balls. Definitely, the batsmen are more careful this season and the wickets too are different and not turning much," he said.

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"Frankly, it doesn’t matter whether you bowl first or second. You should always bring the little things if you want to play good cricket. We bowled according to the plan for each of the batsmen," Rashid said.

"Given the kind of start CSK had, we thought 170-plus was possible but we pulled it back really well as a bowling unit," he added.

On fellow leg-spinner Imran Tahir, Rashid says it is great to see him, wonderful feeling especially the way he celebrates a dismissal. "We always speak lot on what we have to do under pressure. He has been sharing his experience with me," he said.

Read: Dhoni ‘might’ play the next game, says Raina

"Middle order is a problem for every team. Yes, we need to step up, play positive and get out of the pressure," Rashid felt.

On Afghanistan in World Cup, Rashid says the team is having fitness training in South Africa and that they have self-belief and the best talent. "We have a young team. It is all about how we play and control against the big teams," he said.

Got strangles: Fleming

"It was a precautionary move to rest MS ahead of the business end of the IPL. We got strangled, felt 165 score would have been very competitive as has been the trend in the recent games where teams struggled chasing such scores," CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said.

"They bowled well and we didn’t bat well. Batting was inconsistent. We fell short in all departments. But, we don’t overanalyse and good enough to work on certain issues. We have the resilience. Need to do little things right," he said.

The head coach also said that they would like to focus on each game and not think about the final despite being table-toppers. “We don’t know what the numbers are needed to reach the final. We don’t believe in chops and changes, we are not for tinkering around with selection frequently unless there are injury scares. Yes, we do have cover for Dhoni if he is not available for any reason,” he concluded.

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