Rishabh Pant has still got a lot of that natural flair: Fleming

After a high-flying start, Chennai Super Kings’ contest against Delhi Capitals seemed to be quite a one-sided one on paper. But as it turned out, a sizzling partnership at the top in the powerplay allowed the hosts to get off to a quick start, scoring 62 runs in the first six-over stage. 

While Delhi did lose a lot of their batting steam in the middle overs when Matheesha Pathirana was running through their middle order, Rishabh Pant’s innings turned out to be a big differentiator, as the southpaw scored a 32-ball 51, a knock that saw four fours and three sixes, and a shift in momentum towards Delhi, who ended up with 191 on the board. CSK could only manage 171 in response. 

CSK’s head coach Stephen Fleming pointed out that Pant’s knock towards the end was the difference and said that the southpaw still has got a lot of that ‘natural flair’ despite not playing cricket in nearly two years.  

“It was excellent batting. He was lining up the wickets, Rishabh Pant, and there are not many in the world who can do that and Pathirana has had a lot of success. It showed that Pant has still got a lot of that natural flair. If we restricted them to 170, we would have walked off very happy,” Fleming said in the post-match press conference. 

But the game was only put to rest when Khaleel Ahmed picked up both the Chennai openers, leaving the side in real tatters. While Ajinkya Rahane and the middle-order upped the ante, the fact that CSK only scored 32 runs in the powerplay ended up costing them. 

“I think the result is a clear depiction of the teams played tonight, we were a little bit off tonight. We were slow to start, in the first six overs of each innings, we gave too many in the first six we bowled on either side of the wicket. They played well,” Fleming said. 

“When we batted, they (DC’s bowling) were very good, created pressure and used conditions very well. In between there were cameos, from both Warner and Pant at the end. We thought that we pulled it back with Pathirana’s wickets but the flurry at the end pushed them to a good total. In the end, the 20 runs was a fair margin of win,” Fleming added. 

Also Read: MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant and glimpses of past and future

When asked which phase of the innings ended up costing the Super Kings, Fleming minced no words in admitting that they were second-best in the powerplay phase of either innings, which came to bite them in their first loss of the 2024 IPL season. 

“I think it was the first six overs of each innings. Theirs ended up being quite high, at 60-odd after an okay start. And ours, we were in our 30s, that’s 30 difference. When you lose by 20 runs, that’s the margin. We had a lot of catching to do, their bowling plans were good. We had a late flourish but the damage was done in the first six overs,” he said. 

While Ruturaj Gaikwad has aced the captaincy test, with some stellar changes in the first three clashes, it has affected a little bit of his batting, with scores of 15 (against RCB) and 1 against DC. But the CSK management isn’t too worried about his batting form, with Fleming backing their skipper to turn his fortunes around. 

“No concerns (on Gaikwad’s batting form). You are going to have ups and downs, he wants to get runs all the time, obviously. No concerns, we have played two good games, the nature of the tournament is that you are going to have ups and downs. We know that from experience. We were a bit off today and were beaten by a team that was desperate to win,” Fleming said. 

Despite CSK’s loss, the crowd were buzzing towards the end, with them getting their first glimpse of their hero, MS Dhoni. Dhoni walked out to bat with 72 runs needed off 24 balls. But the 42-year-old made an immediate impact, scoring a four off the first ball. 

He didn’t stop there. Dhoni went on to smack a six over extra cover off Khaleel’s bowling before depositing Anrich Nortje’s firebolt over midwicket boundary for a one-handed six. It was almost like a festival in Vishakapatnam, with Dhoni ending up with a 16-ball 37 in a knock that uplifted the crowd like no other in the tournament this year. 

“It was beautiful (Dhoni’s batting), even that one-handed one over mid-wicket. He has been playing incredibly well in the pre-season. He’s coming off an operation as well. So, he’s rehabbing well, and he is batting quite beautifully. The way he played was without a mind, and it was spectacular,” Fleming said.

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