Batting first was not a good idea: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted that opting to bat first in their IPL match against table toppers Gujarat Titans was not a good idea as his side lost seven wickets on Sunday. Already out of contention for a play-off berth, CSK suffered their ninth loss of the season to remain rooted in ninth place in the standings.
“Batting first wasn’t a very good idea. It was tough to hit the faster bowlers in the first half, spinners-wise it was similar,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation. CSK posted 133 for 5 with opener Ruturaj Gaikwad top-scoring with a 49-ball 53. GT chased down the target with five balls to spare.
“Sai bowled well. We could have pushed Shivam up but would have beaten the purpose of having Jaggi in the side. Had it been earlier in the tournament, it would have been a tactical move to have Shivam in. “With Pathirana, the margin of error is slim. He’s got a good slower one and it will be tough to hit him if he bowls consent pace. We will look to give people chances.

“We are trying to feature a good XI and will look to do that in the coming games also,” said the former India captain who scored seven off 10 balls. Titans captain Hardik Pandya said that the core group of players will play in the final league phase fixture even though they have qualified for the play-offs.
“We’ll see if any player requires rest otherwise we need to keep the momentum. The core group needs to be intact. If fast bowlers need rest, we’ll rotate otherwise it’ll stay the same,” he said. “You don’t get extra points for finishing early, so it is important to win.” Asked about his captaincy, he said, “I did alright because having played in the previous franchise where a lot of responsibility was given to the players.
“I have enjoyed responsibility and it has helped me. Doing what I have done in the past has helped. “Ashu pa (Ashish Nehra) and me are very similar in mindset. We connect without saying much.”