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McCullum will be missed, says Chennai coach Fleming

Last Updated 18 May 2015, 18:28 IST

When the Chennai Super Kings take on Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 1 of the IPL here on Tuesday, one key personnel will be missing from their line-up – Brendon McCullum.

While agreeing his departure to England to join the New Zealand squad would be a huge loss, CSK coach Stephen Fleming backed his replacement Michael Hussey to come good.

“It’s huge because he’s an excellent player,” said Fleming of McCullum during the pre-match press conference at the Wankhede Stadium here on Monday. “We introduced Michael Hussey in the last game and although he didn’t get a huge contribution, we support him. Dwayne Smith has been in terrific form. We would have liked to give Hussey more time to settle in but we wanted that final win to have the luxury of giving players some game time. I’m very confident about Hussey as he’s been a very consistent performer for us over the years. The way he has trained suggests he’s still got the hunger.”

With CSK playing MI at the Wankhede Stadium which is the latter’s home ground, Fleming said the match will be a tough one. “It’s going to be very difficult because it’s like an away game for us and a home game for Mumbai. It’s not a neutral venue. We just have to be smart and back ourselves. It’s a great occasion and we need to lift ourselves for the tough one.

“This year the competition has been very close. I think people have gotten smarter with the way they’ve been putting their teams together. Teams also have become stronger at home. Away games have become increasingly different. Considering we are going to play the game at Mumbai’s home ground, the task has just gotten harder for us.”

Fleming also observed that the team that handles the pressure well will come out on top. “The good thing about playing in Qualifier 1 is it gives us a second chance even if we fail. So it helps us stay calm, knowing a defeat means you are not doomed. But it’s a fine line; we saw (Sunrisers Hyderabad’s) David Warner slip on the boundary (against Royal Challengers Bangalore) and it cost his side a place in the play-offs. In the knock-outs, it could be one ball or one boundary that separates you from winning the title and going home. Having coming thus far, I think there is still couple of more twists left. The team that deals with the pressure and the individuals who stand up make the difference.”

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(Published 18 May 2015, 18:28 IST)

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