Over the six seasons of the Indian Premier League, Chennai Super Kings’ batsmen have developed a knack of rising to the occasion while chasing big totals and Sunday was another day when that quality was displayed in abundance by Suresh Raina and Michael Hussey in their CLT20 game here against Titans.
The duo took the attack to the opposition after the early departure of opener Murali Vijay with an 89-run stand for the second wicket off just 44 balls that laid a solid foundation for the CSK to push for a win.
“We got a good start which was needed while chasing a score of over 180. After I faced my first ball, I realised that there was not much in the wicket. The bounce was good and there was some dew on the ground. I was reading the bowlers well and went for my shots,” Raina said after their four-wicket win.
Raina said that when he joined Hussey in the middle in the first over itself, the intent was to be positive and as much as possible in the powerplay.
“We needed to score some good runs in the first six overs. The first five or six overs were crucial as they have a good attack capable of bowling over 140 kmph.
“Hussey and I were looking to be positive and were able to build the momentum but were not able to finish. But we have some good middle order batsmen. Me and Hussey had a good partnership and then Bravo and Badri (S. Badrinath) carried it on,” the 26-year-old said.
With the kind of strokeplay Raina displayed, he was well on track to convert the start into a big individual score but he was happy doing the job for the team. He, however, added that he would aim to finish the games for his team in future.
“The first thing was that I did the job for the team. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it into a big score. But in T20, you have to play your shots and back yourselves.
“I had got a four the previous ball and since mid off was up I anticipated a fuller ball. The thinking was good but I was not able to middle the ball. In the coming games though, I will try to finish it off,” he said.
While the first match of the day at the stadium was a low-scoring one, the second saw over 350 runs being scored and Raina credited skipper M.S. Dhoni for reading the pitchwell.
“I think Dhoni read the wicket really nicely and the decision to field first paid us well. We arrived early for the match and knew that dew would play a role,” he said.