Super Kings get cracking

Chandigarh, April 17: With the sun out, the Chennai Super Kings made the best of conditions with a lengthy practice session that lasted over four hours at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, here today.

Director of Cricketing Operations V B Chandrasekar expressed satisfaction after the training session and said that the team was gradually getting knit into a fighting unit as the players prepared themselves for their Indian Premier League opening fixture against Kings XI, Punjab, on Saturday.

“We had an excellent session today. Our coach Kepler Wessels spent a lot of time with most of the players, discussing strategies and overall game plan. We also had an extended net session besides fielding practice. Overall, it was a highly satisfying outing today,” he said.

The younger batsmen, in particular, received valuable tips from the experienced professionals like Michael Hussey and Stephen Fleming both of whom spoke at length about batting under pressure.

“I wish I had a pen and paper. It was a very revealing talk by both Hussey and Fleming. They have so much to offer to the youngsters. For me, it was an amazing experience,” said Chandrasekar, himself a former India opener.

“We had some sort of question-answer session with the youngsters hungry for information and knowledge, especially with regard to the overall team tactics. Hussey spoke about the need to be judicious in shot selection and of course, preserving wickets,” he said.

Australia’s Matthew Hayden, the other senior player, also mingled with the younger batsmen, offering suggestions and looking closely at their technique.

On the morrow, Wessels will be out early in the morning with the younger lot as he would like to spend more time with them.

“Wessels and the younger players will start their training around 8.30 in the morning as the coach said he wanted to spend more time with them. The seniors will join the session a little later,” Chandrasekar said.

With most of the cricketing equipment having finally arrived, Chandrasekar said he could now totally focus on cricket.

He felt that there were positive signs of the players getting together as a team. “We are looking to playing to our strengths rather than worry about the opposition, and overall, I feel the signs are pretty good,” Chandrasekar said.