GT vs CSK IPL 2024: 'Has Some Good Connections in Chennai Area' - Stephen Fleming Praises TN Lad Sai Sudharsan

Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming referred to Gujarat Titans opener B Sai Sudharsan's Chennai connections and praised the Tamil Nadu batter following his maiden century in Indian Premier League (IPL).

Sudharsan (103 off 51 balls) and Shubman Gill (104 off 55 balls) notched up destructive centuries in an opening stand of 210 runs to propel GT to 231/3 and then restricted the defending champions to 196/8 to stay alive in the play-off race.

The win at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday (May 10) lifted GT from the bottom of the table to the eighth spot. They have 10 points from 12 games, while CSK remained fourth with 12 points and only retained their position due to better Net Run Rate (NRR).

CSK coach Fleming said the defending champions were undone by the "high calibre" batting effort of Gujarat Titans' openers - skipper Gill and Sudharsan.

"It was a good onslaught and the batting was of the highest calibre. Right from the first over they disrupted our plans. It wasn't till the latter stages we got some control. We didn't execute as well as we could but the other part was the sublime batting from two very good players," Fleming said at the post-match press conference.

The former New Zealand captain heaped praise on Sudharsan for his effort, recalling his knock from the IPL 2023 final, where he scored 96 off 47 balls at the same venue in Ahmedabad.

"In the final last year, he (Sudharsan) played beautifully, he got 96. I have watched him closely, he has got good connections around the Chennai area. He is a wonderful player and today he proved that," Fleming added.

Fleming said CSK were put under immense pressure by the onslaught of GT openers, resulting in errors in bowling and fielding during the match.

"We were a little bit handicapped by the absence of some players. The players who were playing today did really well in the last game, so the confidence was high.

"Sometimes you do all the right things but good batting can put you under pressure. It was some high calibre hitting, just the pressure of that onslaught made us a bit sloppy," he said.

"Fielding has been really good, you can't look at just one game. We were put under pressure today. Both bowling and fielding can often be on the backfoot under pressure. Today, we probably fell a little bit behind mentally."

CSK will look to bounce back and strengthen their chances of a top four finish with a victory over Rajasthan Royals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday (May 12).

(With PTI inputs)