Shane Watson has praised the “world class leaders” of the Chennai Super Kings for showing faith in him during a difficult 2019 IPL season, saying the franchise stuck with him and showed confidence when his hitting form was too far away. of the maximums of the 2018 Season.
Watson was one of five Super Kings players to appear in each of his 17 games last season, eventually finishing with 398 runs with a 23.41 average and a 127.56 hit rate. After his first ten innings, Watson had made just two touchdowns of over 30, until he was 96 of 53 balls against the Sunrisers Hyderabad during his first half century of the tournament. It was still a bumpy season, though, as in the next four innings, he couldn’t go past 10 before finishing the season with two more 50s, including an 80 in the final against the Mumbai Indians, where he nearly won. the Super Kings the title.
“The 2018 season was one of my best seasons, it wasn’t just the final [where Watson made a match-winning century]”Said Watson on Nabeel Hashmi’s YouTube show, referring to his 555 runs in 15 innings in 2018. Hashmi is the head of player acquisitions at Quetta Gladiators, Watson’s team in the Pakistani Super League.
“But last year CSK certainly stood with me through thick and thin. In every other team I’ve been on, I may have missed a couple of games before getting the runs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Only they have my back, knowing that my next good tickets were right around the corner, [was amazing]. Only world-class leaders will really stick around and have the confidence to do so, given the caliber of players we have.
“It was a great learning for me too, to be honest, to show that if you believe in someone, you believe in their ability, because you have seen what they have been able to do over and over again and that it will come in handy at some point. It worked well as I could contribute, not in the final (laughs), I ran out in the last (laugh), but until then, I was so close. “
Watson has been among the most prolific T20 cricketers in the world, and arguably one of the all-time IPL greats. Having started out as the talisman of the Rajasthan Royals, he then spent time with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, before being picked up by the Super Kings when he was 36 years old in 2018.
“CSK had full faith in me, it’s an incredible franchise to play against,” Watson said. “When I played for the Royals against Chennai, I always looked up to Stephen Fleming and MS [Dhoni] Also, the way he behaved on and off the field. Being able to play for CSK and experience the way the franchise runs incredibly well from above was a very special experience. I feel fortunate to have this part of my IPL career in recent years, to play for a franchise that takes care of everyone so incredibly well. “
The Super Kings have had to deal with various problems prior to this IPL. Thirteen members of his contingent, including two cricketers, tested positive for Covid-19, resulting in an extended quarantine period. But as one of the top T20 autonomous in the world, Watson feels that his experience turning on after not playing regularly, and the overall experience of other team members, will be helpful in dealing with a sudden restart.
“I’ve been playing T20 tournaments on and off for the past four years,” he said. “I have more understanding [now] but it’s still a challenge to improve your skills. Having an experienced team means that your players have a better understanding of how to make their skills run under the pressure of the first game. That is why we believe that we have a great chance of having a great year because of the quality of the players and the experience we have. We have a better chance of not making too many mistakes trying to catch up as quickly as possible. “
.
