The wicket for the IPL opener between CSK and RCB came in for criticism after it produced a low-scoring game and the CSK head coach Stephen Fleming felt the new surface for Sunday’s match looked a lot better and harder but ‘we have to be flexible as soon as the first ball is bowled and play accordingly.” “It certainly wasn’t up to the scratch in the first game and contrary to belief, that wasn’t by design by us. I’ve looked at the surface, it looks a lot better, it looks a lot harder and a lot more compact. But we just have to be flexible as soon as the first ball is bowled and play accordingly,” he said on the eve on the match against Rajasthan Royals.

Asked what an ideal T20 wicket would be, Fleming felt it was a variation of the surface which one is after.

“It depends which way you look at it. We bought a side based on Chennai’s history, which is a slower track. What we saw the other night was an aberration, that’s not normally how it is. A sort of a 160-170 score here has been what we’ve looked for in the past. The pitch at Delhi was fractionally slow but certainly dry.” To a question on the lack of a gun overseas pacer and balance in the CSK team, Fleming said all players were valued-not as overseas or local players and added ‘we have some good talent.’

“We value all the players in the squad - not as overseas or local players. We’ve got some good talent. Mohit Sharma is still yet to play and he’s getting back from a fitness injury. We haven’t got a tall, bounce bowler that Ngidi was. (Scott) Kuggeleijn has got pace and the velocity of which is something different. We think we’ve got enough cover and players that are in form waiting for an opportunity,” he added.

CSK has chosen to field only three overseas players in the first two games and Fleming said it was about abilities in the squad rather than the question of a foreign player or an Indian player.

“Looking at the squad and skills is not based on overseas versus Indian. Harbhajan Singh was a great option for the left-handed combinations that we faced in the first two games. And that can change if you face a lot of right handers, and we have got Mitchell Santner there,” pointed out the Kiwi.