Gautam Gambhir, Sanjay Bangar and Irfan Pathan put forth their thoughts on the challenges in front of CSK during a discussion on the latest edition of the Star Sports’ show Game Plan.
Gautam Gambhir was asked if we are likely to see MS Dhoni’s vintage form in IPL 2020, and what the latter’s role in the CSK batting lineup will be. He responded that although every captain is crucial to their team, MS Dhoni’s job is even more critical because of the absence of the experienced duo of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh.
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The former KKR captain wishes that MS Dhoni bats up the order for CSK so that he can regain his form, which is something that might benefit his captaincy as well.
Gautam Gambhir reasoned that MS Dhoni has not played competitive cricket for the last year, which might make it difficult for the CSK captain to make an immediate impact in IPL 2020.
Sanjay Bangar on CSK’s likely batting order in Suresh Raina’s absence
Sanjay Bangar was asked how MS Dhoni is likely to resolve the No. 3 dilemma for CSK in Suresh Raina’s absence. The former Indian batting coach replied that CSK are likely to field Murali Vijay in the playing XI to compensate for Raina’s absence.
Bangar reasoned that Vijay is an experienced player who is proficient against both spin and pace bowling.
He reckoned that Murali Vijay and Shane Watson will be the two openers for CSK, followed by Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav in the batting order.
Irfan Pathan was asked how big a loss Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina’s absence can prove to be for CSK, as they do not have an off-spinner who can take the ball away from the left-handers.
He responded that it will be a huge concern for the Chennai-based franchise, despite the presence of leg-spinners like Piyush Chawla, Imran Tahir and Karn Sharma who could deliver googlies against the southpaws.
Irfan Pathan signed off by stating that although MS Dhoni is a very shrewd captain, who might find a solution to the problem, he is unlikely to find an ideal replacement for Harbhajan Singh.
CSK have other prominent spinners like Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner apart from Piyush Chawla, Imran Tahir and Karn Sharma, but they do not have anyone whose stock delivery goes away from the left-handers. In such a situation, they might have to rely on the part-time off-spin of Kedar Jadhav and Murali Vijay.
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