IPL 2018: Faf du Plessis not yet ready to play because of side strain, says CSK batting coach Michael Hussey

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis is not yet ready to play the IPL as he has a slight side strain and a small fracture in a finger and is expected to be ready for the game in Mohali (on 15 April vs Kings XI Punjab), Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey said on Monday. “I believe Faf is not in full training at the moment. He is recovering from a slight side strain. And he also has a small fracture in one of his fingers. He is going to be ramping up his training in the next seven days. He is hopeful of being available for selection in the next game against Mohali, the CSK batting coach said. [caption id=“attachment_4033653” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of South Africa’s Faf du Plessis. Reuters[/caption] Another player, all-rounder Kedar Jadhav has been ruled out of the IPL, after sustaining a hamstring pull, a grade two tear, in the tournament opener against MI, which Chennai Super Kings won by one wicket. Hussey was addressing a pre-match press conference ahead of Tuesday’s game against Kolkata Knight Riders. Asked why Ambati Rayudu was chosen to open in the MI game ahead of Murali Vijay, a regular opener, Hussey said Vijay had suffered a knock during the early part of the training, was recovering and would be available for selection. “From what I understand, M Vijay got a bit of a knock in his ribs. He has been quite sore actually and is slowly working his way back to full fitness. There are always 50-50 calls that can go either way.” “Rayudu is playing really well. He has obviously played for India and done very well. But M Vijay is batting nicely as well. So, it is a nice headache I guess for the coach and captain to have.” “Vijay… Yeah, he is fine, he is ready to go. He is certainly available to be picked,” Hussey said. Asked what he thought of the Chepauk wicket, Hussey said he expected the spinners to play a bit of a part in the game. “It looks good. Yeah, it is a little on the dry side. I expect spinners from both sides to play a bit of a part. In general, it looks like a nice pitch and should be a good spectacle for everyone,” he added. Hussey played down talk on worries over the middle-order for tomorrow’s game in the light of the failure of some batsmen in the Mumbai Indians game and also all-rounder Kedar Jadhavs injury, resulting in him being ruled out of the IPL. Jadhav sustained a hamstring pull, a grade two tear, in the tournament opener against MI, which Chennai Super Kings won by one wicket. “Losing Kedar is a big loss. He is a class player. He was coming back from an injury and unfortunately got injured again. It is a big hole to fill. Numbers one, two, three, four need to take the responsibility and score the bulk of the runs. We lost key wickets at the end of the powerplay. But we have the players who are capable of doing it. We have to play smart cricket, he added. Hussey also said it would not essentially be a battle between youth and experience and added that the team that executes skills best under pressure on the day would win. “I don’t think so. They have some quality players. It is a very good spin bowling team. They have also got some match winners there as well. Guys like Chris Lynn and Andre Russell in particular. They can win a match of their own, be it with bat or the ball,” Hussey said. He said the best teams generally have some good experienced players. “It comes down, in my mind, to which team can execute the skills best under pressure. I think we have got from both teams some highly skilled players and we should see a quality contest,” he added.