IPL 2022: 'Not concerned' about Ravindra Jadeja's form, says CSK coach Stephen Fleming

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has said he is "not concerned" regarding Ravindra Jadeja's poor batting form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.

CSK suffered their seventh loss of IPL 2022 as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defeated MS Dhoni and Co by 13 runs on Wednesday. When CSK wanted their experienced batters to step up during their chase of 174 at MCA Stadium, Pune, neither Dhoni nor Jadeja contributed.

Jadeja's highest score this season is an unbeaten 26, which he scored during CSK's loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2022 fixture. It was also Jadeja's first game as CSK's captain. However, a poor string of scores, failure with the ball and CSK's repetitive losses, Jadeja stepped down from the role in the middle of the ongoing season.

The all-rounder did not pick a wicket and scored a five-ball three in CSK's latest loss to RCB.

"I am not concerned, T20 game can be tough. When you are batting at No. 5 or No. 6, you don't get a lot of time to get the tempo or rhythm right. We will look at it now and work out what the best order will be going forward, but no I am not concerned about his form," said Fleming of Jadeja in a post-match press conference after the game in Pune.

Jadeja has managed just 116 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 118.37, while he has picked up just five wickets.

As the four-time IPL champions sit at the penultimate spot in the IPL 2022 table, Fleming has admitted that his side has been "off in all departments".

"I think we have been off in all departments really. We are not far away, in a lot of games you can say we were really close to winning them. We had the games taken away or we were not good enough to get across the line. But that's usually the story of the competition if you are just off. All three departments have been below par," the New Zealander added further.

Their loss to RCB on Wednesday meant, defending champions CSk will not be able to qualify for the playoffs this season as they have just three wins from 10 games so far.

IPL 2022: Batsmen cost us game against RCB, says MS Dhoni

Earlier, CSK skipper Dhoni acknowledged that the batters let down the side against RCB.

"We did well to restrict them to 170-odd runs. I felt in the later half it (the surface) could be better and we had to get off to a good start, everything was up to the mark and what let us down was the batsmanship. When you are chasing you know what is required and at times you have to curb your instinct and see what really the situation is demanding rather than playing your shots.

The shot selection could have been better towards the end. We had a good start and had wickets in hand, the surface kept getting better but we lost wickets at regular intervals. We can look back at some of the shots, if we take care of those things.. chasing is about calculations and batting first is more about instinct. Ultimately as a batter or bowler, you are in the middle and you have to decide, I don't think that was a problem today," added Dhoni in the post-match presentation at MCA Stadium.

With four group games left for CSK, they next play Delhi Capitals (DC) at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on Sunday.