After registering an emphatic six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling consultant Eric Simmons said Dwayne Bravo always manages to find another gear in his game and that is what makes him a special cricketer.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ambati Rayudu played knocks of 38 and 32 respectively as CSK chased down the target of 157 with six wickets in hand. With this win, MS Dhoni-led outfit went to the top of the table.
"Faf du Plessis has been very comfortable and play the knock he did against RCB. He is an integral part of our process. And it is good to see him healthy and playing well. We spoke about what we did wrong here last year, often the bad performances are the best way to learn. The balance of our team is really good now, we have put together a very balanced team. We have learnt from our previous outing in the UAE," said Simmons during a virtual post-match press conference.
Earlier, Padikkal and Virat Kohli scored 70 and 53 to help RCB post 156/6 in the allotted twenty overs. Both openers shared a stand of 111 runs for the first wicket, but Dwayne Bravo's spell of 3-24 helped CSK restrict RCB under the 160-run mark.
"Yes he has bowled particularly well in the last two matches, we always monitor the way he has been bowling in the Caribbean Premier League and wherever he is playing. He just seems to find another gear and that's what makes him a special character. But the execution against RCB was one of the best you will ever see, to bring back your team, we are extremely happy and he is too in terms of his performance," said Simmons.
"Shardul Thakur has tremendous self-belief. You can throw him the ball at any circumstance and he wants it too. He has incredible self-belief and that is what makes him a special cricketer. As a team, we very strongly look at the execution of our tactic rather than the outcome. Sometimes you bowl the perfect ball and it gets hit for four or six, but the execution was good. Shardul was clever about the way he went about his bowling and he was very smart in using his tactics," he added.
CSK will next square off against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL on Sunday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
( With inputs from ANI )
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