Mumbai, Apr 3 (IANS): Chennai Super Kings' batting coach Michael Hussey is highly impressed with Moeen Ali's batting talent, saying he only realised his calibre when the England all-rounder joined the CSK squad last year.

"Moeen Ali, honestly, is an unbelievable player. I only watched him closely for the first time when he joined the CSK squad in the last season. So, I didn't realise how good a player he actually is. He's a beautiful batsman, a graceful player. Just the way he times the cricket ball is fantastic," Mike Hussey said on Cricket Live on Star Sports.

CSK set an extremely challenging target of 211 for Lucknow Super Giants to win after being asked to bat first, the new IPL side still won by six wickets with three balls remaining at Brabourne on March 31, thanks largely to the heavy dew, which made gripping the ball difficult for CSK bowlers.

Defending champions CSK have lost both IPL matches so far and are currently eighth in the 10-team tournament.

When asked why didn't CSK players panic despite facing defeats in the opening games, Hussey said, "It's been one of the traits of CSK over the years. Obviously, MS Dhoni who's captained the team for a long time and Stephen Fleming, the coach, are very calm and collected characters all the time. The first couple of games didn't go as per the plans but we are certainly not panicking as these are early stages."