'CSK hasn’t got their combinations right' – Shane Watson on Chennai Super Kings' loss to RCB

Franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered a disappointing defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) right at their fortress aka Chepauk. In the same vein, the former CSK player and commentator Shane Watson expressed his disappointment over the team's performance and batting order, as they failed to chase down the total set by the boys in red.

Chennai’s winning streak against RCB has finally been broken. The last time RCB won a game at this venue against the five-time champions was in the inaugural edition back in 2008. There has been a lot of criticism directed at the team’s performance, especially from three-time IPL winner Shane Watson, who was not happy with the decisions made by the home team. He criticised all the batters' performances and also mentioned that the team had not got their combinations right.

“It was disappointing to see certain decisions like Rahul Tripathi opening the batting. Ruturaj Gaikwad is a quality opener, yet he had to come in later. Even one of the shots Ruturaj played—where he gave himself room against Hazlewood—was uncharacteristic. Normally, he stands still and reacts, but this showed he was under pressure," Watson said on JioHotstar.

Also Read: 'There was no home advantage at Chepauk' - CSK coach Stephen Fleming after loss to RCB

"Deepak Hooda, at the moment, just isn’t up to it; he played each ball as if he was trying to survive. Batting Sam Curran at No. 5 was also questionable—I see him as more of a No. 7 batter. Right now, CSK hasn’t got their combinations right, and they need to make a few adjustments. If they persist with this batting line-up, they risk being exposed,” he further continued.

'Dhoni should have batted higher' – Watson on CSK’s tactics

Though the former Australian all-rounder was unhappy with some of the batters' performances, he openly praised MS Dhoni for his explosive batting towards the end. Watson also believed that the former CSK skipper should have come up in the batting order, given the situation in the match.

“This is exactly what CSK fans come to see—30 off 16 deliveries from Dhoni. I would have absolutely loved to see him come up the order. In my opinion, he should have batted ahead of Ashwin. Given the game situation, Dhoni could have played like this for another 15 balls. Over the last couple of years, he has consistently shown that he’s still batting beautifully. I truly believe he should be promoted up the order so we can see the full extent of his skills,” the former Australian legend added.

“From a wicket-keeping perspective, he’s still as sharp as ever—whipping the bails off in an instant. That tells me his game is in great shape, and he's as well-prepared as he possibly can be. If CSK had sent him in earlier, they would have had a better chance of crossing the line. Of course, the crowd absolutely loved what he did tonight, but if he had come in sooner, CSK might have had a stronger shot at victory,” Watson concluded.