Chennai Super Kings batsmen had planned to bat more aggressively on the slowish UAE tracks compared to last time, and that’s what they have been doing during the first two games, said CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) produced a clinical all-round show to humble Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six wickets and claim the top spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) pecking order in Sharjah on Friday.
Chennai Super Kings Bowling Consultant Eric Simons Said Difference From Last IPL 2020 Was CSK Batted More Aggressively
“So, what went wrong here in the last IPL was a tremendous lesson for us. But I think, probably the biggest different is the aggression in our batting, we have come out lot more aggressive than we did last time,” Simons said at the post-match press conference after his side outplayed Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Eric Simons also had words of praise for all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who returned with figures of 3/24, saying the team was delighted with his performance and the West Indian has bowled exceptionally well in the last few matches. All-rounder Shardul Thakur also scalped two crucial wickets, and Eric Simons said that the Palghar boy was very smart in using his tactics and ability to read the wicket and the batsman in the crunch situation.
Eric Simons: MS Dhoni-led CSK Learned Its Lesson From A Miserable IPL 2020 At UAE
Eric Simons also said that the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings outfit had learned its lesson after a horrendous show in the 2020 edition, which was also held in the UAE.
“We have already spoken about what worked for us in India during the first half of the IPL (2021). We spoke about what we did wrong here (in the United Arab Emirates last time). You know any situation, often the bad performance is the best place to learn,” Simons said.
If Dwayne Bravo put up a fantastic bowling performance, it was Shardul Thakur, who kept things tidy, scalping two wickets to dampen RCB’s batting after a fine start. CSK coach Eric Simons said the self-belief helped Shardul Thakur fight back after going for 18 runs in the first two overs.
In the 15th over, Shardul Thakur conceded just four runs and returned for his final over in the 17th over of RCB’s innings, with AB de Villiers still on the crease. He was hammered for a six, but Shardul Thakur returned and sent him back in the same over. Then came the prized wicket of top scorer Devdutt Padikkal, who was set with 70 runs. However, his slower short ball was poorly executed, and the pacer got his second wicket with RCB struggling.