'It was like Niagara falls': CSK head coach Fleming opens up on decision to use Shivam Dube in 19th over against LSG
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming opened up on the decision to bowl Shivam Dube in the 19th over of the Lucknow Super Giants innings.
It was yet another thrilling contest in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) when Lucknow Super Giants produced a magnificent comeback to beat Chennai Super Kings by six wickets. LSG's star batter Evin Lewis struck 55 not out off 23 balls, while Quinton de Kock (61) and KL Rahul (40) made significant contributions as the Super Giants chased down a 211-run target at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
IPL 2022, KKR vs PBKS Live score
After his side faced a second-successive loss in IPL 2022, Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming said that the amount of dew that was present at the stadium during the match was like “Niagara Falls.”
“If you'd looked earlier on, spinning options were taken out of play. Because it was like Niagara Falls in terms of the wetness and they [LSG] played well. So it was very hard to, one, grip the ball for a spinner and, two, to be effective,” Fleming said in the pre-match press conference.
"So early on, we were one over short but they played well. We always knew we had to pick up an over somewhere - we were hoping to be able to create enough of a run-rate towards the end that we could squeeze someone in.
"Whether that was another spinner, the decision was made in the middle to use Dube, and they counted it well. So we always knew that one over was going to be pivotal and I think they did as well, but they played it very well," he added.
The head coach further said he thought that 210 runs were 'above par' and the conditions in Maharashtra always favor the team who is chasing.
“We thought it was about par, and that's the nature of the conditions at the moment - they very much favour the team batting second. We did well to get to 210, but we were always realistic that it was going to get harder as the night went on. So we worked very hard to stay in the game, to be honest,” said the head coach.