Death overs issue is under discussion: Chennai bowling coach Andy Bichel
Bichel has hinted that Chennai are likely to field an unchanged side for Sunday's match against Kolkata.
Andy Bichel, bowling coach of the Chennai Super Kings, was not unduly worried ahead of the match against Kolkata Knight Riders here on Sunday, but spelt out that "death overs was still a problem" the team management is trying to work on.
"The death overs issue is under discussion in the team meeting and at the nets session. That's the real test. It's a challenge. It is being sorted out at the nets. The idea is to keep improving. We will focus on it in today's training session also," Bichel explained at the pre-match press conference here this evening.
Asked about playing an extra spinner in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders as the Chepauk strip is playing slower as was seen in the previous game against Sunrisers, Bichel said, "Balancing the playing XI is a challenge. May be (Suresh) Raina comes in as an option.
"Yeah, conditions are changing match to match here and all over the country," he pointed out.
On any likely changes in the playing squad tomorrow, the Aussie said, "At this stage the same team is playing but pacer Dirk Nannes could be a possibility.
"The name of Du Plesis to find a place in the XI was also being discussed but I think it's a good problem to have considering the surfeit of talent in the CSK team. We will sit down and talk about this too."
As for South African Albie Morkel's availability, he said "Albie has been bowling at the nets but he requires some more preparation. He is also a possible change to come," he observed.
Talking about the inconsistency of opener Murali Vijay, Bichell said the Tamil Nadu batsman has a "little finger injury" but it was not serious.
"He is a good back end player for us. He has been doing a good job for us under pressure. He is a quality player.
"For batsmen like Vijay the transition from Test in which he excels, to T20 cricket was a bit of an effort. That's one of the big challenges today -- changing from one format to the other," he said.
When asked how he would compare CSK and India captain M S Dhoni, who has been instrumental in finishing off games, with former players like Michael Beven and Inzmam-ul-Haq, Bichell said, "Dhoni is more of an explosive batsman. It's difficult to compare players of different eras playing in different conditions. Bevan used to take some time to fix his targets."