Chennai, May 3 (IANS) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming heaped praise on youngster Kartik Sharma for his composed match-winning knock, highlighting his temperament and skills after their commanding eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Chasing 160, CSK rode on unbeaten half-centuries from Ruturaj Gaikwad (67 not out) and Kartik (54 not out) to seal victory with 11 balls to spare, completing a clinical allround performance after their bowlers had restricted MI to 159/7.

“He’s a fine player, and he was expensive in the auction because others see that as well, and tonight it was good to see the temperament as well as the skill on show, and he will just get better and better,” Fleming told reporters in the post-match press conference.“You have the young players, there are two parts to it, one is how you introduce them. It is a big stage, no matter what they’ve been doing at the domestic level. So understanding their mentality is really important, and it is a big step-up.”

“They can have all the talent in the world, but the temperament is what we’re looking for, and his introduction was tough at the start, and then he had a little bit of time out. He worked hard and today was a good reward for that,” he added.

Kartik’s unbeaten 54 off 40 balls, laced with timely boundaries and smart strike rotation, came in a crucial 98-run partnership with Gaikwad that ensured CSK never lost control of the chase. The CSK coach further revealed that the team had been closely tracking Kartik’s development and believed he was ready for the opportunity.

“Well, he was pretty good last year. Again, it’s just trying to understand at what level the skill keeps lifting up and, when it’s domestic level, you’re trying to quantify the standard,” he said.

Fleming emphasised the importance of adapting to the IPL stage, noting that performances in domestic cricket don’t always directly translate to success at the highest level.

“But again, it comes back to that temperament. Being able to do it on this stage is very unique, and when we watched him in the last trials and then his recent form leading into the auction, we felt that he was pretty close or ready to have a chance. He’s worked very hard. There were some things he had to work on and still needs to work on as he goes forward,” he concluded.

Earlier in the match, CSK’s bowlers, led by Anshul Kamboj (3/32) and Noor Ahmad (2/26), restricted MI despite a brisk start, setting up the platform for a comfortable chase that keeps CSK’s campaign on track.

–IANS

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