We've got firepower, don't discount us: CSK head coach Stephen Fleming
Chennai, Mar 29 (PTI): A combative CSK head coach Stephen Fleming stoutly countered the criticism that his team's brand of cricket was getting outdated, saying the team had enough "firepower" and no one should make the mistake of discounting them.
Five-time IPL champions CSK lost to RCB by 50 runs, unable to chase a steep 196/7 set by Rajat Patidar's side on Friday.
CSK's defeat to RCB in the 'Southern Derby' in their own den was their first since the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 and it was also their biggest reversal at home thus far.
In response to a question if his brand of cricket was getting outdated, the former New Zealand skipper shot back, "What do you mean, my way of playing (cricket)? Like winning the first game, that's a good way to play. We've got firepower all the way through. I don't understand this question."
"Just because we don't swing (the bat) from ball one and have a little bit of luck go our way, we'll see at the end," said the New Zealander after his team was restricted to 146/8 in 20 overs.
The 51-year-added that CSK should not be "discounted" just because they had lost one match.
"It's a positive brand of cricket, no doubt about it, but don't discount us. It's a silly question."
The coach, however, conceded the team's fielding wasn't of the highest standard on Friday, adding that the opponents came really hard at them.
Patidar's fine half-century and Josh Hazlewood (3/21) excellent bowling, which reduced CSK to 30/3 at the end of six overs, took the wind out of the home team's sails.
"No, we didn't get it right. It's so hard to read (the pitch), but we thought it was going to skid on with the dew, but it actually got a bit tacky. So, it certainly made it harder.
"A couple of half chance, one or two, it's a real chance. It's just a little bit clumsy. They came very hard, and we had opportunities to really peg them back, but we just let them off the hook. A score of 175 would have been more realistic, but we just weren't good," added Fleming.
Fleming also credited Hazlewood for RCB's win, saying he played a decisive role in the victory.
"Hazlewood is an excellent new-ball bowler when there's a bit of bounce. If you look at the conditions the last game we played, there wasn't that type of bounce or seam. So again, we scratch our heads as to what we're going to get, and we just have to apply ourselves a bit better. We had some chances, but we were just a bit clumsy in the field," added Fleming.
"What we do have to do is apply ourselves better and make sure that whatever surface we're on, we're in the fight. I don't buy into what's talked about over there. We've got firepower all the way through.
"We just have to create the opportunities. Just because we don't swing from ball one and play with it, a lack of fear factor, we'll just sort of see what teams end up at the end," he added.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni striking three boundaries and two sixes to make 30 not out off 16 balls to go past Suresh Raina as CSK's highest run-scorer in IPL history, was only a minor consolation.
Fleming conceded the former skipper had an uphill task when he came in to bat.
"He's been here (training) well over a month, so he's done a lot of work with the trainers to get himself into shape. He's very professional in that way, and just natural ability. It was far too steep in the end."
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi''s third-fastest IPL ton propels RR to 228/6 against SRH
Jaipur (PTI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (103) went hammer and tongs for the third fastest hundred in IPL history off 36 balls, powering Rajasthan Royals to a huge 228 for six against Sunrisers Hyderabad, in an IPL match here on Saturday.
Sooryavanshi made SRH pay a heavy price for an early reprieve when he was on 32 to notch up his second hundred in the league and first of the season, which followed three whirlwind fifties earlier.
The 15-year-old once again displayed his rich repertoire of strokes executed with brute force and timing, as Rajasthan played their first match of the season here at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. He used the long handle to maximum effect to clobber 12 sixes as against five fours in his 37-ball 103.
He brought up his ton with a six off Sakib Hussain (1/62) on his 36th delivery, recording the third fastest century in the IPL after his own 35-ball hundred last year and Chris Gayle’s 30-ball ton for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in April 2013.
Sooryavanshi was off the blocks quickly when he smacked Praful Hinge (1/49) for two sixes on the on side and two down the wicket on the final four balls of the opening over, making a rapid start and didn’t look back.
An on-song Sooryavanshi rarely missed a freebie to punish as he garnered runs on both the sides of the wicket while putting on two robust stands at the top to continue RR’s charge.
His rapid start helped in adding 40 runs off only 14 balls for the opening wicket while he consolidated for RR with a 112-run stand for the second wicket with Dhruv Jurel, who chipped in with a 35-ball 51 with eight fours and two sixes.
Sooryavanshi's charge ended immediately after completing his ton when he missed a scoop off Hussain and was pinned in front of the stumps for a leg-before.
Meanwhile, Jurel was also lucky twice as Hussain could not hold on to two tough return chances in his follow-through.
Even as SRH managed to get the rid of the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal (10) early, they erred when the opportunity was created by Eshan Malinga (2/38) in the fifth over to remove Sooryavanshi.
On a length ball, Sooryavanshi looked to heave it to the on-side but mistimed it. Aniket Reddy covered some distance at deep midwicket on his right but the ball popped out of his hands for a costly drop.
Sooryavanshi went on to complete his fifty off 15 balls with a six in the sixth over from Hussain.
RR's innings was also spruced up by Donovan Ferreira's late 16-ball 33, studded with three sixes and as many fours.
Amid the charge from RR batters, SRH had their regular skipper Pat Cummins returning with impressive numbers of 4-0-27-1 with his solitary wicket being that of his counterpart Riyan Parag (7).
