'Pitch May Slow Down...,' MS Dhoni Predicts Chepauk Pitch's Nature Ahead of GT Clash
Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni (Source: BCCI/IPL)
The all-important toss took place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium between the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) MS Dhoni and skipper of Gujarat Titans (GT) Hardik Pandya for the Qualifier 1 clash as the coin fell in favour of the latter.
Pandya immediately announced that they would be bowling first to take advantage of the dew factor. With CSK now being asked to bat first, Dhoni revealed that they were looking to chase as well.
Further, he expressed that the pitch is likely to slow down as the game moves on which has been the case at this ground on previous occasions. Adding to it, the four-time champion captain said this match will be mostly dependent on how much dew is there by the end of the game and as there is some wind blowing which makes it quite uncertain.
"We wanted to bowl first, reason being they're an excellent chasing side. We've exploited the conditions slightly better, in a tournament like this, the boys have adapted really well. It's important to back your strengths, the confidence level should be high. They've been able to do that and that's why we have done well. I feel the pitch may slow down as the game progresses. There was a lot of dew in the last game, but with breeze around, we can't say about it tonight, but it does look dry. We're playing the same team."
CSK opted to field an unchanged XI for the nth time this season and will be hoping to get a direct entry into the finals with a win in this encounter.