Mumbai, May 9: Although fairly late in the tournament, an ankle injury has been a blessing in disguise for spinner Moeen Ali and his IPL team, the defending champions Chennai Super Kings.
While Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK are technically not out of contention for a playoff spot at IPL 2022, their string of defeats has made their task an uphill one as they have to win all three remaining league games. and also expect favorable results from other teams
On Sunday, the four-time champions moved up a rung to No. 8 in the IPL table with eight points, following their 91-run victory against Delhi Capitals. Moeen Ali (3/13 from four overs) and New Zealand batsman Devon Conway (87 from 49 balls) were the architects of the big win at DY Patil Stadium on Sunday.
After the match, Moeen revealed how a change in action helped him.
“Since I hurt my ankle I had to change my action a little bit. It was probably for the best. It’s actually helping on these wickets. The wickets are dry here; you have more in the game. I knew he could get hit but he also knew that I could bowl decently. I’m happy with those bowls,” Moeen helps.
The England all-rounder credited captain Dhoni and manager Stephen Fleming, saying he tries to learn as much as possible from the duo.
“It’s a great opportunity for me because he’s the captain. I’m trying to learn a lot of things as a captain when I get back home. We discuss what kind of bowlers we have. Of course Flem (Stephen Fleming) says tell me what wicket it is and how bowling. As everyone knows, it’s amazing. I try to pick his brain as much as possible,” Moeen told csk tv.
The all-rounder also praised Devon Conway for his brilliant form and early partnership alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad.
“The marriage (Conway got married late last month) is obviously working out. He’s doing well. He’s someone who gets a lot of runs. He’s a run getter. He and Rutu (Gaikwad) have now started the partnerships that we needed after Faf (du Plessis) left (to become RCB captain). He’s (Conway) a great player. He takes great shots and I’m very, very happy for him,” Moeen added.
Moeen also said that the massive victory against Delhi Capitals on Sunday will give CSK a lot of confidence for their upcoming matches.
“Any win right now is great for us. Winning against a great team gives us a lot of confidence going forward. I think we got a great score, we missed a few at the end, we were probably looking for 210-215, happy we got over the mark. 200. We knew it would be a good score with the spinners we had, we just stayed in the moment, in the present, and got some good shots at the end.