Pune:
A disappointed Rising Pune Supergiants head coach Stephen Fleming said they are still struggling to find the right combination after the new outfit slumped to its fourth consecutive defeat in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
After the win over defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Supergiants suffered four consecutive defeats—the latest being the two wickets loss against Kolkata Knight Riders last night—to languish at the second last spot in the eight-team standings.
And Fleming said it is always difficult to build a new team.
“We just need to move on. As a new team we are trying to develop a culture and some camaraderie, it does take a lot more work. So we are working hard but it’s tough,” the former New Zealand skipper said at the post-match press conference last night.
“We are just trying to find a combination. Because we are new team, we are trying to understand what combinations will work. It’s not ideal but if we win 2 or 3 games in a row we probably will settle down. We are conscious about it and are just working on the combinations that will give us the results we need,” he said.
A disappointed Fleming minced no words in criticising his bowlers for failing to defend 160 last night, which according to him was a “very good score” on the slow-paced Maharashtra Cricket Association ground pitch.
“What we are not doing is winning cricket and that’s all what matters. I thought today’s performance was poor, the performance on the field was very poor. 160 was a very good score on that surface. There was lot of assistance for the slow bowlers but we just didn’t adjust. We didn’t use our spin, we didn’t create enough pressure and kept Kolkata in the game,” he said.
