'I don't think that's a problem' - Chennai Super Kings unbothered by middle-order’s struggles

Despite five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings having a roller-coaster season, the one thing that seemed to be working for the side was the middle order. With star all-rounder Shivam Dube leading the front in the middle order, his performances took a lot of pressure off of the other batters. 

However, as some of the batters like Ruturaj Gaikwad have got their mojo back, it looks like Dube's form has deteriorated. With two consecutive golden ducks, many have been worried about Dube’s form. However, the five-time champions seem to be unfazed. 

Chennai Super Kings’ bowling coach Eric Simons came forward to talk about Dube’s form and opined that the side is not worried about one or two bad performances, reflecting on how the middle order has been the side’s strength throughout the season. 

"I don't think that's a problem when you have a blip once or twice, I think we won't be over-concerned about the middle-order. We know the quality is there and it might not have happened in this game. But as we move forward, we hope to fire again,” Eric Simons was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. 

As a bowling group, we did well: Ravindra Jadeja

Chennai Super Kings recently took on Punjab Kings in the 53rd game of the tournament. Both sides faced off at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Sunday, May 5. Batting first, Chennai posted a total of 167 runs on the board in the first innings, eventually winning the game by 28 runs. However, according to veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, the five-time champions were still short of 15-20 runs of a par score. 

"It was a day game, so the wicket was slow, which we expected. We did well in the powerplay [with the ball] but then we could not build partnerships. We wanted to build partnerships, so in the last 4-5 overs, we could score quickly. Partnerships didn't happen, but as a bowling group, we did well. Tushar [Deshpande] got important wickets in the powerplay. Then Mitch [Santner] and I did well in the middle overs,” Jadeja said.