'Quite surprised' - Cheteshwar Pujara reacts to Stephen Fleming's claim about CSK lacking home advantage

Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara believes that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is one of the franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that has always got tracks at MA Chidambaram Stadium as per the team’s strengths. However, the right-handed batter expressed surprise over CSK head coach Stephen Fleming's comment about them not having any home advantage.

The Men in Yellow suffered a 50-run loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 28 at Chepauk. The India veteran, who was with the franchise for the 2021 season, also indicated that the middle-order including Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran and MS Dhoni need to step up and take responsibility.

“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. 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 strengths has been when they play at home,” Pujara told ESPNcricinfo.

"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. They will have to start scoring runs quickly. They rely heavily on their middle-order. Yes, their to-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. 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," added Pujara.

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Pujara further mentioned that CSK typically chase targets in the range of 150-160 or defend totals around 170. However, he emphasised the need for a change in playing style.

“There’s a lot to learn for CSK. 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 said further.