Dhoni has to step up in the final stage

It is really painful to see the results of the Super Kings. They are in a must win situation like the last year. They have been pushed to the situation where a win is a must. However, Chennai Super Kings have the knack of performing under pressure. In every IPL season, it has not been an easy journey to the finals for Chennai Super Kings. They have recovered and got into the finals. Once they are into the finals, they become a new team- a champion team!

But this year has not been a good one for the defending champions. They are lacking the match-winning players which they had in the past. Not surprisingly, only four fifties – three from Faf Du Plessis and one from Badrinath.

So where are the runs coming from?

Moreover, they have not made use of the home advantage unlike what they have done in the past, where their home ground has been the fortress for them. But also the fact that, Dhoni hasn’t been able to utilize and bring out the best from individual players hasn’t helped either!

But in the second half of the tournament, Dhoni was able to correct the mistakes which he had committed and as a result he was able to produce better results. They are peaking at the right time. But, if they want to continue with the winning momentum, skipper Dhoni has to step up with the bat. In this IPL, he has 200-odd runs but he doesn’t even have a fifty.

Each time when Dhoni walks to the center, there seems to be a fictitious impression that an inchoate mass of ideas get generated at the back of his mind. The kind of strategies that would bail his team out of any trap. This is what Chennai Super Kings skipper’s die hard fans believe.

However, Dhoni, by his own admission, tries to keep things simple and does not try to overhaul the situation. Concealed behind a tranquil mask, he too, would feel as panicky as anybody when the going gets tough. Of late, a few cracks on the visor have confirmed that Dhoni is vulnerable too. A case in point is the ongoing IPL, where Dhoni has given vent to his anger on a couple of occasions – his uncharacteristic outburst on teammates during the Pune Warriors fixture, was theatrical.

After suffering back-to-back defeats at home, it is obvious that Chennai are struggling. Super Kings’ path to the play-offs is indeed going to be tough. When Chennai Super Kings was outclassed by KKR, Dhoni still had excuses. He told the reporters: “The surface was not up to our expectation. The spinners did not come to the party. Team’s success depends on spinners especially on slow tracks. The wicket did not suit our strategy”.

It was unconvincing proclamation that he came up with. Super Kings would do well to rework their approach at least in the next couple of games. They are the first team to finish league stages. So, it is high time the star studded middle order lived up to their reputation.

Ashwin has been Dhoni’s key man; he needs to open the bowling irrespective of the total. Shadab Jakati has become too predictable and is easy fodder for the opponents – time to draft in someone with variety.

Meanwhile, Stephen Fleming is a worried man these days. He believes CSK would hit back hard and make it to the play-offs.

“We are the most settled unit. But at present, there are some problems that needs to be fixed”, said the Kiwi.

So Dhoni has found the right combination and should continue with the same XI, that had won him against Delhi Daredevils. If he can use his resources efficiently, Chennai Super Kings may again pull off the Title.