Shubman Gill’s wicket will be crucial for CSK in the final of IPL 2023. (Photo: Sportzpics)
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said there is a chance to put pressure on Gujarat Titans in the final if they get Shubman Gill early.
Chennai Super Kings are on the verge of becoming the joint most successful team in the IPL as they chase their fifth IPL title, but they have a titanic roadblock in Shubman Gill and Gujarat Titans, who are chasing history themselves , eager to become only the third team to defend their IPL title when the two teams clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad tomorrow. And all attention is focused on Gill’s red-hot form.
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming also admitted that Gill will be the key man for GT, but said that there is an opportunity for GT to put pressure on the final if they can get Gill early.
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“He’s playing well. That doesn’t change. You hope to pick him up early. You hope to have enough firepower to create opportunities, be poised enough to take it,” Fleming said during the pre-match media briefing ahead of the final.
“I think the only thing we are seeing is that when you have an opener or openers in such good form, there is a chance to get into the middle order. So if we can get some early successes then we saw in the last match there was an opportunity to build some pressure. But we have to overcome that.
CSK will be appearing in their 10th final, with Stephen Fleming being a part of all ten, either as a player or coach. They have won four while finishing runner-up five times and Fleming revealed that despite being in this position more often, there is a sense of nervousness ahead of a big match.
“We’re excited about tomorrow. There’s a little nervousness too. Big stage, a big opportunity, and it took a lot of work to get to this point. So we’re proud of what we’ve done, but we’re proud of tomorrow’s opportunity.” Waiting,” Fleming said.
“It’s a big opportunity. The game doesn’t change, but the result does. It’s really hard not to look too far ahead and dream of winning it again, even from a coach to a player who hasn’t played a game.” What we set out to do at the start to be a part of it. That’s our aim. Just trying to incorporate that excitement and really stay in the present is one of the big challenges towards the end of the tournament Is.
With what the pitch in Ahmedabad has to offer and especially what happened in Qualifier 2 between GT and Mumbai Indians, it could be a run-fest and Fleming is expecting the same. Even though he said that the team is not worried about the conditions, but touched upon the fact that the onus will be on the top-order to get starts and put runs on the board to capitalize on the middle order.
“It is important, no doubt, to score so many runs at the top. It gives you all the opportunity to be aggressive in that half of the 20 overs. With the change in mindset and the change in rules, it has allowed us to be right up there with the best teams in terms of that aggression.”
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Ruturaj and Devon Conway have been brilliant at the top of the order for CSK, adding over 1000 runs between the two. Conway is currently fourth with 625 runs while Gaikwad is seventh with 564 runs. For GT, Gill has scored 851 runs while the next best for GT, skipper Pandya (325) and Wriddhiman Saha (317) are not even in the top 20. But for Fleming, the difference maker could be CSK’s more experienced middle-order.
“I think if you look back in time, almost 70% of the runs have been scored by the top three successful teams. Certainly in our time, Faf (du Plessis) and Rutu (Gaikwad) were on par for the Orange Cap. Devon and Rutu are going well. Gill has probably dominated more than Saha, but they have been a good combination nonetheless.
“We’ve got experience below that which is important. So we’ve made a lot of changes up the order and we’ve used an impact player in (Shivam) Dube and we’ve been able to get our middle-order players on at some crucial junctures It hasn’t always been the same order and it’s very much based on how we go at the top. I’ve had days where Devon and Rutu have gone early and we’ve still played fine,” Fleming he said.
