MS Dhoni Calls for Improved Pitches to Boost IPL Performance
Dhoni's Plea for Better Playing Conditions
Lucknow: On Monday, MS Dhoni, the captain of Chennai Super Kings, urged IPL organizers to enhance pitch conditions that promote aggressive batting, emphasizing that no team desires to play conservatively.
Dhoni specifically pointed out the playing surface at Chepauk, traditionally a stronghold for CSK, which has become challenging for the five-time champions this season.
After breaking their five-match losing streak with a five-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants, Dhoni made a significant contribution with a quick-fire 26 runs off just 11 balls to secure the win.
"The Chennai pitch tends to be a bit slower. Our batting has performed better in away games. We might need to play on pitches that offer more assistance to the batters, allowing them to play confidently. Timid cricket is not what we aim for," Dhoni remarked post-match.
"Our bowling unit has performed admirably, but we can enhance our batting performance."
As the player of the match, Dhoni expressed that this victory would instill confidence in the team.
"Winning is crucial in a tournament like this. Previous matches didn’t favor us for various reasons. Securing this win boosts the team's morale and highlights areas for improvement," he added.
Rishabh Pant, the captain of LSG, who ended his scoring drought with a 63-run innings off 49 balls, mentioned he is gradually finding his form.
"I feel better with each game, but sometimes things don’t go as planned. I’m focusing on one match at a time," he stated.
Pant explained the decision not to bowl Ravi Bishnoi (2/18) in the final over, despite his strong performance.
"We had discussions, but we couldn’t utilize him in the last over today," he noted.
"Bowling during the powerplay has been a challenge for us, but we aim to improve. We’re looking to extract positives from every match."
Pant believed LSG fell short by 10 to 15 runs on the two-paced Ekana Stadium pitch.
"We lost wickets at crucial moments when we had momentum. We needed to build partnerships. The pitch was a bit tricky, but we could have scored 15 more runs," he concluded.