Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming has pointed out that six final appearances from the eight seasons speak of his side's consistency, and their loss to Mumbai Indians in the final of the Indian Premier League is not down to the mind.
"We have won the Champions League the last time. It's not mental, it's on the day. We have come across some great individual performances. We're very realistic, the team has got you into this stage and then it's all about individual performances on the day.
Having lost the final of the inaugural edition in 2008 (to Rajasthan Royals), Chennai won successive titles in 2010-11. However, they have lost their last three finals in the competition, twice to Mumbai Indians.
Fleming admitted his side was always playing the catching up game after Mumbai Indians duo of Rohit Sharma (50) and Lendl Simmons (68) set the early momentum (with a 119-run stand) and helped the eventual winners score a 200-plus total - Chennai managed only 161 for eight in response- in the IPL final.
"Rohit Sharma and Lendl Simmons were in great form and they just quickly grabbed the momentum. We could not stop them. The game they played from second over onwards was almost faultless. We just stuttered," Fleming said.
"They bowled smartly and we were playing a catch-up game. I think it's pressure more than anything while chasing a big total. When you are chasing a big total and you're 33 in the first six overs, credit to their opening bowlers they just shut us down. Any hopes of chasing it down was quashed pretty
quickly," he added.
'It was a very difficult season, we had to make our way through'
Asked if the decision of Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to bowl first was a defensive one, Fleming said it was a collective decision.
"Probably in hindsight (we would have liked to bat first) but because it's possible the way they played. Kolkata is renowned for chasing, team batting second have done well here and we took a leaf out of their book.
"We wanted to bowl first, it's new pitch, there was a bit of talk about the grass on it. That was the best option we felt. It was a team decision.
"There is no science in it but it doesn't always lose you the game, that too in T20. They got a great total on the board, bowled aggressive and we did not bat as we would have liked to," admitted the coach. Fleming felt that the team missed Brendon McCullum.
"We also lost McCullum while they're riding high. Just felt that we never got going. We had one dominant batting performance when McCullum got a hundred. It was a very difficult season, we had to make our way through and I think it's a good achievement to be table toppers. Obviously we're looking further ahead."
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