Image Credit- BCCI
The Chennai Super
Kings’ fresh players made an impression on the side they defeated in the IPL
2023 championship, indicating that success may also be abundant in the years to
come for MS Dhoni.
They reached 206 thanks to the efforts of captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (46 off 36),
Sameer Rizvi (14 off 6), Shivam Dube (51 off 23), and Rachin Ravindra (46 off
20). This was more than sufficient for a bowling attack that is also undergoing
changes.
Chepauk gave the host team’s spinners no wickets for the second straight game.
Rather, all the damage was caused by the fast bowlers, particularly Deepak
Chahar (2 for 28) and Tushar Deshpande (2 for 21). The times are indeed
changing.
Rachin plays from
the back foot. The strongest aspect of his game, though, is his drives. They
appear very genuine. Nearly automatic. This is essentially the outcome of a
mental shift that he underwent, which was made abundantly clear during the ODI
World Cup when he allowed himself to swing strongly at the ball. Watching him
now, bias is nearly nonexistent.
This batter was showcasing his excellent hand-eye coordination and early
ability to pick length. He was always in the right place. He never hurried. He
never gave the impression that he was trying. Because he hit nine boundaries on
the powerplay, which is tied for seventh most among CSK batters, his 46 off 20
balls has already earned him a spot in the Super Kings Hall of Fame.
In their opening
game of the season, the Titans defeated the Mumbai Indians thanks in large part
to left-arm spinners Sai Kishore and Rashid Khan. Here, they were essentially
prevented from completing their allotted number of overs. due to Shivam Dube.
Perhaps the best case for role clarity in T20 cricket comes from Dube’s story.
Here was a power batter who, despite being used as a finisher by teams, had
only managed one fifty from his first 22 IPL innings. He’s not that, because
he’s still developing his fast bowling defence.
His entire potential
was being wasted until CSK approached him in 2022 and made the decision to
utilise him against slower bowlers, the kind of opponents he can simply put his
front foot down and utilise his entire wingspan against. Not even Rashid could
silence Dube. That’s how good his spin-hitting is.
With less than two overs remaining, Chepauk might have anticipated Dhoni to
walk out to the middle when Dube fell off the wicket. Rizvi, who is 20 years
old, took the initiative instead. And he hit a six off the opening ball he
faced in the IPL. Rashid was bowling at the time, and he smacked him for
another six, this one a bit of a mis-hit as he charged out of his crease and
swung himself almost off his feet – only added to the occasion.
Deepak Chahar was
discovering that his slower ball was not working this evening; the pitch was
only allowing it to slide across the bat rather than providing grip. However,
Chepauk didn’t completely desert its troops. In the third over, Shubman Gill
was removed from the game due to a slight bounce in the ball.
More mayhem ensued as a squad not particularly recognised for their fielding
performance produced three amazing catches. The Titans pursuit was never
sustained. When their openers went, they had just 34 runs on the board; when
their top scorer, Sai Sudharsan, fell, they had 114; and at 129 for 8, they
were in danger of being bowled out. Although that didn’t occur, but this loss
was their worst in terms of runs in the IPL.