Fleming rues Ben Stokes’ absence
HYDERABAD: RPS coach Stephen Fleming has rued the absence of talismanic England all-rounder Ben Stokes after the team’s quest to secure their first IPL title were dashed on Sunday.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Fleming said, “We were a batsman short with Ben Stokes not being part. We were playing an extra bowler and were aware of it when chasing 130. The best way to have gone about the chase was to build a couple of partnerships. We saw Steve Smith and Ajinkya Rahane come close to doing that but we lost wickets at key times and it kept Mumbai Indians in the game,” Fleming said.
Stokes’ all-round exploits were one of the big factors in the team’s success in IPL 2017. His 316 runs at an average of 31.6 and 12 wickets gave Rising Pune Supergiant immense momentum. However, after the last league game against Kings XI Punjab, the England allrounder had to leave for national duties as his team prepared for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy.
Asked whether it would have been beneficial for Stokes to have played this game rather than train with the team, Fleming stated, “There are gains by being together as a side. You also relish the opportunities to play finals in pressure situations. You learn a lot. We would have loved having Stokes for the full time but we knew he would not be there throughout. We did not spend too much time lamenting that. From his point of view, he would have loved this situation. He is a big game player.”
Rahane and Smith had shared a 54-run stand for the second wicket and had put Rising Pune Supergiant on course. However, Rahane’s departure for 44 slowed the run-rate down and Mumbai Indians managed to concede just 12 runs in the next three overs.
Fleming reckoned that the team’s inability to kill the game off turned the course of the match. “We knew Mumbai Indians have top class bowlers. We fell behind a couple of times. We lost wickets at key times. We could not kill the game. They just hung in and created pressure which allowed them to get over the line.”