After his team's 7-run loss at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming seemed irritated during the post-match press conference when asked why Kedar Jadhav batted ahead of MS Dhoni.
Chasing 165 to win, CSK sent in Jadhav at No.4 and he managed just 3 runs before getting out to leg-spinner Abdul Samad.
Batting at No. 5, Dhoni added 72 runs for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja but the duo failed to keep the required run-rate under check.
While Dhoni tried his best in the death overs and remained unbeaten on 36-ball 47, his team eventually finished with 157/5 in 20 overs.
After the match, Fleming addressed the press conference wherein a reporter asked him: “What was the thought process behind sending Kedar Jadhav ahead of MS Dhoni?”
In reply, the CSK coach said: “Really? I said really, it's a question? Well he's (Kedar Jadhav) our number four, Dhoni primarily is a middle-to-backend player. Kedar Jadhav is our No.4, he plays dual roles where if we get off to a good start, he might move down and let Dhoni up but when your losing early wickets then your No.4 batsman goes in so... You can't keep, no I'll stop there.”
It was CSK’s third loss in four games this season. The three-time champions will face Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in their next match on Sunday (October 4) in Dubai.
