IPL 2018: Stephen Fleming believes that the loss against KKR is the slap in the face for his team

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) strangely looked out of intensity on the field during the game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). They even dropped catches which is a rare sight and there were a few fumbles in the outfield as well. The skipper MS Dhoni was miffed after the game with the way his boys gave it away. Even the coach Stephen Fleming has come down hard at his players now and believes that this loss is a slap in the face for CSK.

Ravindra Jadeja was the culprit who dropped a couple of easy catches not once but twice off the consecutive deliveries. Sunil Narine was the beneficiary as he went on to score 32 runs before getting dismissed and had given his team a great start which kept them ahead in the chase throughout.

Our fielding was exposed

Stephen Fleming felt that their fielding was exposed by KKR and also went on to say that the best fielders like Jadeja dropping catches didn’t help their cause. “We know we are not strong in that area and it got exposed. That some good fielders made mistakes also led to the heads going down a little bit. Such lapses affect bowlers too. So, a lot to work on. If you win, you just keep riding that momentum but a loss just gives a slap in the face and, hopefully, it will have an effect in a day-and-a-half’s time,” he said in the post-match press conference.

Fleming also pointed out the fact that the ongoing season is the tightest one and it is crucial to cling on key moments. “We are not that good a side that we can have bad days and still get away with wins…I think it is a very tight competition, perhaps the tightest season to date with teams very smartly put together. It comes down to key moments. Fortunately for us, we are in a good position because we have won some key moments. But we have to keep winning those,” the coach added.

CSK will play their next encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Saturday in their new home at MCA International Stadium.

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