Dhoni: We can't be great fielding side but can cover it

DN Bureau

His side's core team is the oldest in the IPL and Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni knows fully well that they cannot be a great fielding outfit but can make it up in batting and bowling.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni


New Delhi: His side's core team is the oldest in the IPL and Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni knows fully well that they cannot be a great fielding outfit but can make it up in batting and bowling.

"We are well covered in other areas. We will never be a great fielding side, but we can be a safe fielding side. We might bleed a few runs here and there, but as long as we use our experience, we'll make it up with our batting and bowling," Dhoni said after CSK beat Delhi Capitals by six wickets here Tuesday.

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"You don't want the XI to push too hard and get injured. We haven't done well at the death, so plenty of areas to work on. But still it is a good victory," he added.

Dhoni himself is 37-year-old, Shane Watson is 35 while Dwayne Bravo is 34. The other core members include 39-year-old Imran Tahir, 38-year-old Harbhajan Singh, 34-year-old Faf du Plessis, 33-year-olds Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav, and soon-to-be 32 Suresh Raina.

Dhoni praised his bowlers for restricting Delhi Capitals to a low score.  "The wicket turned more than expected in the first innings. In the second innings there was enough dew to make it slightly easier to bat on. I thought the bowlers did very well to restrict Delhi to 147," he said. 

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"Losing Ngidi at the start of the tournament was a big blow, because he was our quickest bowler." 

Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer said, "For new batsman, the pitch was really tough. I usually don't have trouble starting against spinners but today it was turning and holding up. Our best batter Rishabh Pant also found it tough. The wicket was slow and that's why I decided. (PTI)










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