Self-belief is the key - The Chennai Super Kings Blog

Self-belief is the key	06 Apr 2010, 01:55:28 PM
Posted by VB Chandrasekar

A big game it is for the Super Kings on Tuesday night against Sachin’s Mumbai Indians. Lot of hard work and a tremendous fightback has put a semi-final spot in its sights. The desperation of last week is behind us and ahead is the final climb towards the first target of top four.

A long and difficult trek it has been, but punctuated by moments unforgettable. Two back-to-back wins at home have raised the bar of expectations and another success against Mumbai would put the team firmly on track to advance to the next phase of IPL-3.

Still a lot of cricket to be played for sure and it is early days yet to look too far ahead. One match at a time is what our captain has said and it should be so. Happy to note that pressure has brought out the best in CSK who when things looked dark and menacing, stepped out fearlessly to play bold and entertaining cricket that Vijay’s century symbolised.

In my previous blog, I had briefly touched upon Hussey’s role in CSK’s scheme of things and it would be up to Mahi to juggle his resources and arrive at a combination that will take the team all the way to the top; a difficult process for any captain with a wealth of talent and options at his disposal.

To have faith in your mates is an essential virtue for any captain. Horses for courses should be the approach in a long tournament such as the IPL. The pitch condition could be the decisive element in team selection. When I saw the track for the Royals game, I immediately realised it was a 200-plus surface. CSK winning toss and batting first set it all up.

At the Brabourne stadium last month, CSK was caught on its way downhill. Even a 180 target that CSK set was easily made by Mumbai for whom the cricketing God played a match-winning innings. We were at least 20 runs short then.

This time around, Mumbai are on a high with seven wins and almost certain to make semi-finals. Nothing to lose is an ultimate luxury and it is a position Mumbai are in at the moment. All the pressure is on the Chennai lions to perform and even play at a level that is a notch higher than they did against the Royals.

From that night at the CCI, Mumbai have improved considerably. A bold decision they took to drop Jayasuriya at the top of the batting order after just three matches. Will CSK take such a step to accommodate Hussey?

Playing at a higher level also require tightening of our fielding. Bollinger set a high standard with that catch off Pathan for others to feel inspired and emulate. Dougie is a character and an athlete, full of energy and bounce that are reflected in his bowling. On him the CSK will depend for crucial wickets, but support should come from the other end also to give the attack sharpness.

Mumbai line-up, with God at the top, is full of strokeplayers and so I feel the CSK bowling should be on the button through the 20 overs. Knowing Sachin, I would say he will not ease up despite the strong position of his team on the points table and it will be up to us to counter.

Hope springs eternal and so also confidence that the CSK has in plenty after two wins at home. The self-belief they have shown to bounce back will again be the key to their success tonight.

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Commented By Rajesh Raghupati	4/8/2010 10:49:18 AM
we don't need Hussey and Badri. Badri should be given a break with no disrespect to his performance. He can be replaced by C Ganapathi to strengthen the bowling, especially if Morkel is going to be back in place of Tilhan Tussara. MVijay, MHayeden, SRaina, MHussey, MSD, Morkel, CGanapathi,Ashwin, DBollinger, SJakati & Sudeep Tyagi. Imagine the flexibility in bowling and for 20 overs you don't really need an orthodox number 6. Against Gilchrist's men it is important to rotate the bowlers. The batting can be deepened further if a pinch hitter can be identified in Ashwin or Jakati or even CGanapathi to swing against superior bowlers.
Commented By Jayakumar D	4/8/2010 6:47:21 AM
Dear VB, Fantastic Team Effort on Tuesday showed the power of CSK. At last we had put the break to the continuous winners (MI). The Semi final place is not far away for us.Another three win with good run rate will confirm the same.
Commented By ramadas narayanan	4/8/2010 12:16:27 AM
hi,atlast we have won against mumbai indians.i suggest to use hemang badani in the place of badrinath ..most of them prefer a person who can hit the ball well also..moreover badani ,is a gud fielder, who can also bowl some overs.he is best than badri..the rest of the team is gud..
Commented By Malik Mohamed	4/7/2010 6:53:18 PM
Well done CSK, IPL 3 namakkuthan, appadi podu. Strategic decision has worked out, please have Murali in the team boss. Malik
Commented By Prashanth P	4/7/2010 3:26:08 PM
A great win for CSK..interestng article on cricinfo, just wanted to share this with our CSK friends http://www.cricinfo.com/ipl2010/content/story/455021.html CSK rocks man !!! :-) Mind it Rascals :-))))
Commented By Vijay Kumar Natarajan	4/7/2010 3:20:20 PM
Guys,what a game CSK Vs MI. I thoroughly enjoyed it andanyone wud. I can say this match is the perfect example for the slogan "Catches win matches". I expected Sachin to explode but poor guy harsh weather outdid him.Superb slow bowling by Raina,Ashwin & Jakati,way to go guys. The same pitch few days back fetched 245 an...d now 165, its all to do with knowing the local conditions. Vijay's catch (Pollard wkt) was awesome.The three key instances of the match that turned CSK's way were, Badri's throw to run Satish out, Vijay's catch of Pollard and the tight spells from Ashwin and Jakati.
Commented By Jenany Chandrasekaran	4/7/2010 3:01:35 PM
Way to go guys...Keep up the great team work...All the very best for the upcoming matches...CSK rocks...
Commented By udhaya kumar	4/7/2010 2:57:54 PM
It's time to take REVENGE.We have won against RCB,RR,MI.Next is to DC.
Commented By Riyaz B	4/7/2010 2:23:12 PM
Hi VB/MSD, Excellent come back by KINGS OF CHENNAI. Happy to see the bowlers peaking at right time. TYAGI ,ASHWIN and JAKATI bowled really well. THUSARA was Excellent with the ball and also a brilliant catch to dismiss BRAVO. Hope we can continue the winning run til the end of this IPL .. Chance of making a CHAMPIONS LEAGUE birth is Bright.... Keep roaring lion . .. ALL THE BEST FOR DC MATCH
Commented By RAGHURAMAN KRISHNAMURTHI	4/7/2010 12:51:30 PM
Well Done CSK. Hats off to all members of the Team. We in Delhi and outside Chennai hoped and prayed and God has answered. But, don't forget that had Sachin stayed at the crease, things would have been different. What a prolific stroke player. The cramps and heat have taken the toll on Sachin. On the whole, a good performance and the fielding has vastly improved. K.Raghuraman
Commented By sanjay mehra	4/7/2010 12:43:37 PM
Hi Vb/Mahi Awesome win against the mumbai indians. If we play as well as we did against MI in all the three aspects - Batting(good score cosidering the slowness of the pitch),bowling and amazing fielding i am sure we will be unstoppable and IPL3 will be CSK's!I had earlier commented that we should bat second but seeing the sponginess of the wicket batting first seems to be most ideal esp. in the night games and yes we should not leave out the spin-king Murali in these tailor made conditions! then that gives you all a healthy headache for team selection! Let the CSK Lions Roar!!!!! Cheers! Sanjay
Commented By Anand S	4/7/2010 12:40:43 PM
MSD.. Thalaivaaa You Rock... (lol). I dont know what you did after your arrival you have just changed things right around.From bottom to just right there(moving up),very happy to see the team is doing well Vijays heroics and Dougies commitment is something which the others have to look out for.We bowled like champions against Mumbai (Points toppers).We need to now understand that we have nothing to prove and just do our best and lift up IPL 2010.I have no suggestions since Thala knows it all what he needs to do..
Commented By Rajesh Kanna	4/7/2010 12:22:09 PM
Well Done CSK !! yesterday's victory is a team effort where we had contributions from more players than one or two really setting it up. We need this to happen to win more games. Individual Brilliance can win you some matches, but collective brilliance wins you more matches and helps you to be consistent. I find from Dhoni's interview and many views here about Morkel being included in the XI. He has been given enough chances and he has not really lived up to his potential in either department of the game to warrant a place in the XI, do not get carried away by that 62, he returned them by giving 56 in the same match through his bowling. There should not be any thoughts in having Hussey in the line-up. My foreign picks would be Hayden, Hussey,Boulinger,Murali/Thushara depending on the wicket. Also, i would like to have Hussey bat at No.3, because he scores runs at lesser risks than Raina, who relies on lofted shots more at the initial part of the innings. Even though there are fielding restrictions which can encourage lofted shots, there is always an element of risk and the margin for error is too less for us in this stage of the tournament, we can use hussey since he is available and more compact. Raina is always useful at No.5/6 where his type of strokeplay will be required during the latter part of the innings.All the Best !! for the next game.
Commented By Varsha Bhatia	4/7/2010 12:09:08 PM
Hi VB & MS Dhoni, Congratulations for your victory vs Mumbai Indians. This was a colletive team effort & overall outstanding performance from CSK. CSK fans would luv to see the team entering the semis. Hope Morkel is back soon in the team. Dhoni, I would luv to see u batting & scoring more runs. looking forward to some fab innings. All the best to the CSK team for their next match.
Commented By Ramesh M Srinivasan	4/7/2010 11:52:47 AM
I was fortunate to be one of the spectator yesterday.What a match and What a win by MS & his team.The team selection though tricky finally gave way for good Cricket.Hussey should play in forthcomming matches also.A place has to found for Balaji & Morkel which will very tough under the present form. kudos to CSK M S Ramesh
Commented By Chandra Shekar	4/7/2010 11:08:14 AM
Hi VB & MSD, Well done CSK, Great Come back. All credit to MSD's captancy & Good team effort !!! All the best for the rest of the games: Rgds, Chandru
Commented By dharm prasad	4/7/2010 10:57:40 AM
gud work by CSK as a team. Special appreciation goes to badri and hussey, for there sensible playing keepin the ground and bowling conditions with the dew factor. Sensible bowling by ashwin and jakati too.
Commented By ram theja	4/7/2010 10:01:42 AM
chennai is back...............the lions are very hungry for their prey(semi finals)
Commented By ABBY ABRAHAM	4/7/2010 9:59:38 AM
amazing fight back by the kings ... Great come back ... way to go . hope mahi and his team keep up the same winning tempo.
Commented By Lionel David	4/7/2010 9:40:34 AM
HI VB sir, Last night match was mind blowing. I wish Hussy should play forth coming matches giving Dhoni a chance to bat up the order. We want to see Albe Morkel to play in the playing eleven. Cheers to CSK.
Commented By Kaushick madhu	4/7/2010 9:24:51 AM
well said.................howz albie now???will he play for the next match??????????
Commented By Latha V	4/7/2010 8:43:58 AM
Hi VB & Mahi, I have no words to say of my CSK's spirit & ability in defending such a total to victory... My first credit to Mahi's great captancy using bowlers rightly espically giving ball to Raina and he took the crucial wicket...obiviously .Thusara ashiwn and jakati bowled well too. Secondly the fielding was fantastic...Overall it was great team effort... I so happy that we starting beating the good teams....I know we have captabilty in being at the top..I am sure we will next time like how MI dominate this time. All the best CSK :-) Regrds Latha.V
Commented By sadiq hasan	4/7/2010 7:09:38 AM
Hi VB, I saw you and owner of super kings watching like all CSK fans that nothing should happen wrong when sachin and harbajan were paired together. It was an amazing treat for super kings fans to beat mumbai indians but beating at score which very hard to defend against any team except by magic. We really picked hussey, thushara and ashwin. We need to promote confidence in the hearts of indian players like ashwin because they are the big assets for any club for long standings.Ashwin released the ball very carefully after seeing the last moment of the batsmen,that was inspirational. Bowling and fielding really synched well and hardwork and commitment seen by every player.Thanks for bringing hussey he is a kind of playe who reads the pitch and coditions and quickly adapted to it.Of cource he needs time to settle.Bolingor should never be left out he is having comeback ability. May i know the name of some one really trained in fielding area which was said by raina in interview. After seeing many star actor , actresses who showed lot of response and love for CSK was good to watch. We shouldnt get carried away because 4 teams fight for fourth spot. -:HOPEFUL FOR SEMIS AND FINAL:-
Commented By Shiryn Govender	4/7/2010 2:46:40 AM
Well done guys u really deserve this win.Excellent bowling and fielding is what made the CSK win today. What a beautiful game to watch especially when u know its CSK we supporting. Hope to see the team maintaining this spirit and winning the IPL this year. Mumbai Indians were left dumbfounded and CSK had the game in control throughout the match. Well done Mahi for making the excellent choices of using the right bowlers at the right time. Well done bowling & fielding coaches , your hard work really paid off. Congratulations to each and every CSK for winning this game. This is what we call team effort. Wish u well in all the rest of the games. Your no 1 fan from South Africa- Durban.
Commented By Giri Subramanian	4/7/2010 12:59:00 AM
A brilliant win for the superkings. Hope they continue their winning momentum and make it to the semis.
Commented By Lakshmi Narasimhan Sampathkumar	4/7/2010 12:21:35 AM
Wow.. I am happy to post the first comment after our win against table toppers Mumbai Indians.. Way to Go CSK!!!
Commented By Yang Le Yi	4/6/2010 8:17:54 PM
hi VB The Kangaroos/English/Kiwis/Proteas taken in the auction are mostly available for half or one quarter of the season only. Hence why not try and pick up the likes of Raymond Van Schooer and E. Steenkemp of Namibia for the next edition so that they will be available for the whole tournament. so many can be picked up for comparatively small sums and introduce one or two every match so that opposition team cannot judge your strength and weaknesses before. Good luck for today's match. Hope you are with CSK in the next edition.
Commented By dharm prasad	4/6/2010 7:40:31 PM
forget about the points tables or the chances of semifinals. the key for csk success relies more upon emjoying the game on batting side and smart bowling to the opponents. especially, the bowlers have to outsmart sachin and co to collect the dotballs. finally, fielding is very important and you cant afford to make a misfield or drop catches. good luck csk
Commented By Rashid Maliyakkal	4/6/2010 7:10:00 PM
I thing we should accommodate Hussey in the middle order by resting Badri. Badri played a good role in CSK run, but looking at Hussey and his form we can't afford to loose his service. I believe we will win today with a strong statement. GO CSK! GO!
Commented By Sunder Ram	4/6/2010 6:41:53 PM
Improved fielding ,catches and bowling is all I expect today.Batting is no worry .
Commented By SEKHAR SRIDHAR	4/6/2010 6:41:49 PM
Good that you have taken note of MI's benching of Jayasuriya.We can accommodate Hussey by resting Hayden.It might sound silly but Hayden is not a player who should be getting out in 20s and 30s.One match's rest will rejuvenate him in time for the Nagpur match on 10th.And from what I saw in yesterday's match there,the boundaries are very,very long in Nagpur and Haydos' services would be essential there.I understand that Dhoni and Fleming are the best persons to determine the playing XI but when it comes to including a person like Huss in the XI,there should not be any second thoughts.I wish Huss gets to play at least one match this season,if not tonight. In our last two matches,there has been individual brilliances from Vijay,Morkel,Raina,Bollinger etc.Today I wish all eleven fire in unison-I mean there will not be any dropped catches,misfields,mishits,ugly slogs,wides and no-balls.May this be the day.Go CSK Go!
Commented By Rohit Sundaram	4/6/2010 6:28:54 PM
We need more yorkers.Last time mumbai controlled us in the end overs.Malinga has yorkers.If we can dismantle malinga, then we can have those 20+ runs which will make the difference
Commented By jaichandran sundaramurthy	4/6/2010 6:17:02 PM
The 'pride' is on the move for hunting and even the Mumbai Indians will fall prey to the collective might of our Lions.ROARRRR! Can you hear it Sachin and Co. ?
Commented By abhishek shekar	4/6/2010 5:51:56 PM
We will win it 2day sir.. All d very best...
Commented By Santosh Shaastry	4/6/2010 5:42:22 PM
VB, totally agree with you that Bollinger set an example for fielding standards with Pathan's catch. I would be happier if the Indian lads in the team show extra committment and match those standards. While batting has been our strength and bowling strengthened by few new additions, I believe fielding would be the key to win the match today!
Commented By Varesh Ramanathan	4/6/2010 5:15:17 PM
You have to drop M.Hayden to bring Hussey.I think that's the only change csk have to do if they want to beat mumbai indians to inch closer for semi final berth.Our bowlers have to bowl staright off stump full deliveries to stop them and we want to have good fielders to stop flow of runs.You have to stop each and every ball to stop single run.So I thing self belief and self confidence is the key to sucess.you have to be cool and not nervous.

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