CHENNAI: When it comes to choosing an all-time IPL XI, it is impossible to keep Suresh Raina out of it. The left-hander was an integral part of four title wins for Chennai Super Kings and made the No. 3 spot in the franchise his own for more than a decade.
During an interaction facilitated by IPL’s official broadcaster JioStar, Raina spoke about CSK’s chances, what makes Shreyas Iyer a great T20 captain, Rishabh Pant’s tough challenge at Lucknow Super Giants and a lot more.
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Excerpts:
On whether Shreyas and coach Ricky Ponting can bring about a change at Punjab Kings…
Iyer can change their fortunes with the help of Ponting and a lot of great batters around him. Iyer’s batting has been phenomenal. He has the captaincy skills; he has won the IPL. I will be keen to see the way he can change Punjab’s fortunes. I have seen Ponting; he is strong with his planning and he is intense.
On how important the IPL is for Pant’s white-ball future…
If you look at his captaincy, he is cheerful and innovative. He has calmness and he is an astute leader. I want him to bat at No. 3 but if I look at their squad, I think he will bat at No. 4. Probably, he can play the role of a finisher for LSG. His IPL season could change his T20 fortunes.
On Pant managing an ‘ordinary’ Lucknow pace pack…
Some of their bowlers like Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan and Avesh Khan are injured. The attack does not have experience. It is important to have a quality fast bowler to qualify for the playoffs. Pant is going into the IPL without a quality fast bowler and has a lot of homework to do. But Zaheer Khan (mentor) has heaps of experience and will gel well with Pant.
On his friend MS Dhoni still going strong…
Everyone talks about his fitness and wicketkeeping, but not many talk about how much power he generates from his backlift. He goes to Chennai one month before the start of the tournament. He bats for three to four hours every day and does match simulation.
On the CSK spinners…
The spin department is very good. Ravichandran Ashwin is a local boy. He would want to finish well at CSK. He can bowl in different situations. Ravindra Jadeja is good in all three departments and then there is Noor Ahmad. While Jadeja can contain runs and create pressure at one end, Noor will bring quality and provide the breakthroughs. Foreign batters will have a challenge playing in Chennai, so the Indian batters will have to do most of the work.
On CSK’s batting order…
Rachin Ravindra has been in very good form. Having him with Ruturaj Gaikwad, it becomes easier when they play in Chennai. We will have to see who they are going to play in the middle order – Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda or Vijay Shankar. The batters have to spend time on the Chennai pitches, especially in the 7-to-11-over period.
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