Coach Sunderam backs CSK’s Tushar Deshpande to turn things around in IPL's 'El Clasico'

CSK pacer Tushar Deshpande trains at the Wankhede Stadium. Pic/Ashish Raje

Chennai Super Kings pacer Tushar Deshpande's three wickets in this year's IPL have been Shubman Gill, Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni, all coming at crucial stages of the game.

However, the Mumbai-based bowler has become a talking point for bowling too many extra deliveries (five wides and four no-balls).

Despite returning with figures of 2-45 and 1-51 at an economy of 11 plus, former Mumbai bowling coach Pradeep Sunderam, 63, backed Deshpande to emerge a match-winner in the upcoming games.

"The areas Tushar is hitting right now are much better than what he used to. The way he bowled in his second spell [against Lucknow Super Giants on Monday] after conceding 18 in the first over, was amazing, a good comeback. He is shaping up very well," Sunderam told mid-day.

Too much on Tushar's mind?

When asked about the reason for Deshpande's wayward bowling on a few occasions, the former Rajasthan pacer Sunderam, who claimed all 10 Vidarbha wickets in an innings at Jodhpur in the 1985-86 Ranji Trophy season, said: "Tushar gets carried away sometimes, but that is bound to happen. He has to prove his place in the side. He has not played international cricket yet so that is also playing on his mind.

Deshpande, 27, has seven wickets to his name in nine IPL matches since his debut for Delhi Capitals in 2020. Sunderam felt that playing for CSK under MS Dhoni will hold him in good stead. "Tushar has the ability to do much better. He should always be sitting with someone and talking to him. And from what I know, Dhoni is the guy who always encourages him," Sunderam added.

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Sunderam reckoned that facing his Mumbai Ranji teammates like Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav in today's encounter against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede will be an advantage for Deshpande. "He can be a match-winner, because he is consistently bowling at 139-140kmph. With better judgement of whether the batsman is playing on the front foot or back foot, he will start bowling in the right areas. Self-belief is most important. Once he starts believing in his own ability, he will overcome the pressure of performing," Sunderam remarked.

One-on-one sessions pay off

Sunderam, who had several one-on-one sessions with Deshpande in Kalyan last year, recalled their interactions. "When I was working with him ahead of IPL 2022, he had issues with his loading and front-arm. He was unable to pitch the ball in the right areas so we worked on that. That made a difference. Whatever we did, we did without compromising on his speed as I don't want to disturb that," he signed off.