Chennai coach Stephen Fleming was all praise for Michael Hussey, who came up with a brilliant knock against Kolkata, saying that the way he has batted so far in the tournament has been "dynamic".
Hussey smashed a 59-ball 95 to power Chennai to a commanding 200/3 and also effected an important run-out during the chase when BIsla was batting confidently on 92.
"It was great innings, isn't it? He has been consistent though there was some criticism in the manner in which he scored runs. The way he has played against different teams has been quite dynamic. I cannot speak more highly of Hussey on the influence he has and the way he conducts himself," Fleming said.
"His name is Mr Cricket; what he means to the side is phenomenal and he is halfway to our batting unit. He leads by example, not only runs that he scores but the way he trains and conducts himself," he added.
Fleming said Hussey's presence lifts the performance of the other players, who look up to him as an inspiration.
"By his performance, Hussey lifted Saha, who played well today. Vijay had played well in the past and Raina had played well with Hussey, and Dhoni, when he gets a chance, plays well with Hussey. He is an inspiration. He has got instincts to read the game situation. If you feel he was struggling for about 60 runs, it was because of the desire to convert good starts to a winning score. He should have got a hundred."
Asked if Chennai were under pressure during the chase, Fleming said: "We were under pressure, we got some catches in the second 20 overs but we fumbled under pressure. But you must admire the two teams playing such close games. It is quality cricket. Somehow we came on top at the end."
On the dropped catches and a missed stumping chance, Fleming said: "In cricket, it always happens. Suresh Raina (who put down a catch) is one of the best fielders. Ashwin is not the most mobile. As I said we were under pressure. On the whole, it was a wonderful game."
Speaking about the bowling performance, Fleming said they were found wanting for most part of the innings before Chris Morris bowled an outstanding last over, giving away just 4 runs when Kolkata required 19 to win.
We probably did not respond well with the ball but the last over in particular was outstanding. We are still working for progress and it is nice to see some good bowling in the death overs."
While mentioning that there was room for improvement in the bowling department, Fleming said he was impressed with the way the seamers bowled.
"The Seamers, in a high-scoring match, were a lot more smarter and that from a coaching point of view is pleasing. I am sure the captain would like to see quickly some improvements. I know he would. It was a tough start today as we gave 20 runs in the first over," he said.
Asked if his side's bowlers were complacent while defending a big score, Fleming said, "Impressions can be different. Sometimes one gets such impressions but on the flip side, the team chasing on a big ground have a lot of opportunities. We were not complacent."
Asked how his side came out unscathed on most occasions when they were in trouble, he said, "It might sound strange to say that we are a good battling side. But, we really fight for our win. We have some gifted and wonderful players in our ranks. We find our ways to be aggressive. Our attitude is good and we do at times manage to win."
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