DAVID TO DON THE ROLE OF MIDDLE- ORDER BATSMAN
Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said opening batsman Brendon McCullum would not be available after a couple matches and will fly back to New Zealand for the birth of his child.
“David Hussey ( replacement for Dwayne Bravo) will fit into the middle order,” he said, ahead of his side’s match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Ranchi on Sunday.
He went on to add: “Faf has experience in opening the batting, and our main option is to move Faf up in the order and make David play in the middle order, where he is accustomed to playing.”
Fleming mentioned that the T20 experience of David would bring a lot to the table. “He has played a lot of T20 cricket, so our middle order will not lose any strength with him in it. We found it a little bit empty this year with Mike not being with us, so David is a good replacement,” he added.
Fleming said they are analysing some individual performances and experimenting with a few younger guys to prepare for the big games.
“We tried to do some new things in the last match; we introduced a young player ( Vijay Shankar) in our XI, which is important as you move forward in the tournament. We’ve experimented with different combinations of spin and pace.
“So, we have some good information that is required as we move forward. This time in the season, the plans are almost set; all you do is make some subtle observations and changes in terms of individual performances. A lot of it comes down to ensuring you have the right team for the right pitch. That, I think, is one of the main challenges for all the coaches,” Fleming said.