Cheteshwar Pujara, who was a part of CSK in the 2021 edition, also feels that the side's middle-order, having the likes of Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran and MS Dhoni, will have to take up more responsibility
Cheteshwar Pujara (Pic: File Pic)
In the IPL 2025 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Super Kings suffered a defeat by 50 runs.
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CSK head coach Stephen Fleming stated that the side has no home advantage.
Following Fleming's comment, Team India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara said that Chennai Super Kings is the one franchise that always prepares home pitches according to their strengths.
Cheteshwar Pujara, who was a part of CSK in the 2021 edition, also feels that the side's middle-order, having the likes of Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran and MS Dhoni, will have to take up more responsibility.
"There is a lot of concern in the batting line-up outside of Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad because their middle-order will have to click at some point," Pujara said.
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"They will have to start scoring runs quickly. They rely heavily on their middle-order. Yes, their top-order is their strength, but when they don't perform well that's the time the middle-order has to step up, it doesn't look like they're completely ready for it."
"... at CSK, you can't complain. It's one franchise where they've been preparing pitches according to their strengths. If he's (Fleming) saying that [there is no home advantage, they don't have a say, then I'm quite surprised," Cheteshwar Pujara told ESPNCricinfo.
Other than CSK, Cheteshwar Pujara named the franchises which get pitch conditions according to their strengths. He mainly named the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders as the franchises to get home advantage.
"If you speak about MI, CSK, KKR - I don't think that's the case [them not getting pitches they ask for]. Any other franchise, I can still understand. Those (three) franchises make sure they get what they want. Their strength has been when they play at home."
Incidentally, even KKR management is reportedly unhappy as Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee has refused to provide them with a surface where their main weapon Varun Chakravarthy was clobbered for 43 runs in four overs in the match against RCB.
Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been a batting mainstay for Team India in Test cricket, said that CSK might just lack firepower.
Since the CSK template is to either chase targets in the range of 150-160 or defend totals in the vicinity of 170, Pujara believes that a shift in playing philosophy is the need of the hour, even if it means scoring at a quicker clip.
"It looks like they'll need better surfaces to get back into form and when they start playing at home again, they'll be able to perform well."
Pujara also said what would hurt a die-hard CSK fan most is the abject surrender.
"There's a lot to learn for CSK," he said. "I've been part of the franchise. If you're a CSK fan, you'd really be disappointed today. You tend to lose, but the way they lost this game will put a lot of dents in the dressing room," he added.
Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings will lock horns with the Rajasthan Royals in their next IPL 2025 fixture on March 30 at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium.
(With PTI Inputs)
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