Slow-moving Super Kings legs in the spotlight

In 2007-08, MS Dhoni was captain of India when Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly were phased out of the one-day team because they were just too slow in the field. Later, in the 2011-12 Commonwealth Bank tri-series, on vast Australian grounds, Dhoni said Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag would cost the team 20 runs if all three were included in the XI.

Cut to IPL 2018. Dhoni is no longer India's captain but he continues to be Chennai Super Kings' thala. He watched his team-mates fumble, stumble, and concede at least 20 runs on the field in the season opener against Mumbai Indians on Saturday. While Dwayne Bravo's death-bowling and big-hitting prowess helped Super Kings pull off a heist, the fielding - and occasionally the running between the wickets - hung like Coleridge's albatross around their necks.

Mumbai were 20 for 2, but Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav went on a rampage. Kishan greeted Imran Tahir's legspin with a punch towards long-off, where Bravo couldn't slide early enough to stop a boundary. He then slogged the next ball in the air but Ravindra Jadeja, one of the best fielders in the country, misjudged a catch at long-on and watched the ball sail over him for six. Kishan belted the third ball of the over to the left of long-off, leaving Bravo with no chance to stop it. There was a single off the fourth but the fifth could have resulted in a breakthrough if Bravo, now at midwicket, had held on to a difficult catch. And, in the chase, Suresh Raina could have been run out for 4, the batsman not putting in a dive after a mix-up with Ambati Rayudu.

A shrewd captain - and Dhoni is among the best - can hide one or two weak links in the field, but Super Kings have 11 players in the squad over the age of 30. And several of them are prone to injuries. Their agility - or the lack of it - could sting the team in tight matches, especially on large grounds.

Super Kings' batting coach Michael Hussey admitted to fielding and fitness being a concern for an ageing squad but echoed head coach Stephen Fleming's comments that experience was very valuable in T20 cricket.

"I think fielding is going to be one of our challenges for our team," Hussey said on the eve of the game against Kolkata Knight Riders. "We do have some older players. Some people see that as a negative but I actually see that as a positive. I think that experience is important in T20 cricket and having experienced players can often be the difference between winning and losing games. Because that experience means they have been in all the tough situations before and [know] how to handle the pressure.

"On the flip side, perhaps, we are not going to be the most nimble or dynamic fielding team, but we can still be smart on the field. I agree there is room for improvement for us on the field and there are some key areas we are focusing on that we need. In particular, we are focussing on the movements. Even if the ball goes this side of the ground, we want players in other sections moving into areas where they can help out. Fielding, certainly, is a focus of our team."

Meanwhile, at the post-match presentation on Saturday, Dhoni said that he will keep a close eye on the injury-prone players and adopt a horses-for-courses policy.

Horses for courses, what? An old joke goes: if it's difficult to get into the CSK team, it's even more difficult to get out. Ask the likes of Manpreet Gony, Mohit Sharma and S Badrinath. Super Kings have thrived on sameness but a lopsided squad this season has burst their bubble.

Can Dhoni take tough calls on some of the senior players like he did in 2007-08 and 2011-12? Even if he does, do Super Kings have reliable back-ups? Kedar Jadhav has been ruled out with hamstring injury, and it remains to be seen if Faf du Plessis can recover from a finger injury. Chaitanya Bishnoi (23), N Jagadeesan (22), Kshitiz Sharma(27), Monu Kumar Singh (23), Lungi Ngidi (21), Kanishk Seth (20), Dhruv Shorey (25), KM Asif (24) are all young but unproven. M Vijay isn't the explosive opener he was for them in 2010, and can be slow on the field too. Maybe they can draft in Sam Billings, who is a fine fielder and busy batsman to boot.

The options are limited for Super Kings but Dhoni needs to find a way to shake off the albatross.