We were always playing the catch-up game: Fleming

Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said his team was always playing the catching up game after Mumbai Indians duo of Rohit Sharma and Lendl Simmons set the early momentum and helped the team score a 200-plus total in the IPL final.

Mumbai Indians posted an imposing 202 for five as Rohit (50) and Simmons (68) put on <g data-gr-id="26">a 119-run</g> stand off just from 67 balls. In reply, CSK could reach 161 for eight in their allotted 20 overs to go down by 41 runs.

“Rohit Sharma and Lendl Simmons were in great form and they just quickly grabbed the momentum. We could not stop them. The game they played from second over onwards was almost faultless. We just stuttered,” Fleming said at the <g data-gr-id="24">post match</g> news conference here last night.

“They bowled smartly and we were playing a catch-up game. I think it’s pressure more than anything while chasing a big total. When you are chasing a big total and you’re 33 in the first six overs, credit to their opening bowlers they just shut us down. Any hopes of chasing it down was quashed pretty quickly,” he added.

Put in to bat, Mumbai Indians were 1 for one in the first over after Parthiv Patel had brilliantly run out by a diving Faf du Plessis, but things changed in the very next over with Sharma and Simmons setting the tone for an imposing total.