Hope To Pick up Shubman Gill Early and Have a Crack at Gujarat Titans’ Middle-order: Stephen Fleming

Chennai Super Kings are on the cusp 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 themselves are chasing history, eying to become only the third team to defend their IPL title when the two teams meet at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad tomorrow for the showdown. And all the focus is centred on the red-hot form of Gill.

CSK head coach Stephen Fleming also conceded that Gill will be the main man for GT, but said there is an opportunity to put the pressure on GT in the final if they can get Gill early.

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“He’s playing well. It doesn’t change. You hope that you pick him up early. You hope there’s enough firepower to create an opportunity, be good enough to take it,” said Fleming during the pre-match media briefing ahead of the final.

“I guess the only thing we’re looking at is when you got openers or openers in such good form, an opportunity to get into the middle order. So if we can get a couple of early breakthroughs, then we saw in the last game we played, there’s an opportunity to create some pressure. But we got to get past him.”

CSK will be featuring in their 10th final with Stephen Fleming being part of all ten either as a player or a coach. They have won four while finishing runners-up five times and Fleming revealed that despite being in this position more often than not, there is a sense of nervousness ahead of the big match.

“We’re excited about tomorrow. It’s a little bit of nervousness as well. Big stage, a big occasion, and there’s a lot of work that goes into getting to this point. So we’re proud of what we’ve done, but looking forward to the opportunity tomorrow,” said Fleming.

“It’s a big occasion. The game doesn’t change, but the outcome does. It’s really hard not to look too far ahead and dream of winning it again, even from a coach right down to a player who hasn’t played a game. To be part of that is what we set out to do at the start. That’s our purpose. Trying to just contain that excitement and stay really in the present is one of the great challenges as you get towards the end of the tournament.”

Going by what the Ahmedabad pitch has to offer and especially what transpired in Qualifier 2 between GT and Mumbai Indians, it could be a run-fest and Fleming too is anticipating that. Even though he said the team is not worried about the conditions but did touch upon the fact that the onus will be on the top order to start well and put runs on the board for the middle order to capitalise.

“It is important, no doubt, to have that amount of runs at the top. It just gives you all the opportunity in the back half of the 20 overs to be aggressive. With the change in mindset and the change in rules, it’s allowed us to be right up there with the best of the teams in terms of that aggression,” he added.

Ruturaj and Devon Conway have been brilliant for CSK at the top of the order with the duo combining for more than 1000 runs between them. Conway is currently 4th with 625 runs while Gaikwad is 7th with 564 runs. For GT, Gill has amassed 851 runs, while the next best for GT, skipper Pandya (325) and Wriddhiman Saha (317) does not even feature 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, there’s about 70% of runs scored by the top three of the successful sides. Certainly, during our time, Faf (du Plessis) and Rutu (Gaikwad) were neck and neck for Orange Cap. Devon and Rutu have been going nicely. Gill has probably dominated more than Saha, but they’ve still been a good combination.

“We’ve got experience below that, which is important. So we’ve shifted the order a lot and we’ve used an impact player in (Shivam) Dube and we’ve been able to get our middle-order players in at some key times. 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 went early and we’ve still played okay,” added Fleming.