“It was amazing to see Chennai win the first game, a team that thrives on spinning pitches had a brilliant winning performance against Mumbai in the opening act,” Manjrekar wrote in his column for The Times of India on Tuesday.
CSK defeated Mumbai by five wickets in the opening match of IPL-13, which is played in the United Arab Emirates due to the raging coronavirus pandemic in India.
“I saw Dhoni as captain in that first game where Chennai lost five wickets and Dhoni finished with zero, not outside, after facing only two balls. While it is true that more evidence is needed, people should not be surprised if They see Dhoni the batter in the background to allow Dhoni, the captain, to direct the luck of the team, “Manjrekar said.
Manjrekar continued by pointing to the examples that indicate that Dhoni is still in his prime when making decisions as captain.
“Picking Sam Curran, (Lungi) Ngidi in the eleven and then promoting Curran and (Ravindra) Jadeja in the order to make a winning difference are all the first signs of this. With a win against Mumbai, they have been their nemesis. , Chennai starts as clear favorites against Rajasthan, “added Manjrekar.
CSK will face the Rajasthan Royals in their second game on Tuesday.
Sharing his thoughts ahead of the fourth game of the season, Manjrekar indicated that Rajasthan will rely heavily on its high profile foreign recruits to be successful this season.
“Rajasthan is an interesting team, but is it a potential champion team? Most would say no, but there have been some good developments for them as of late. Jos Buttler, for example, in the sheer form and quality of the game. by hits, he is one of the best T20 hitters in the world today. He will miss today’s game (Tuesday) due to quarantine rules, but he will play a crucial role in the tournament, “added the former batsman.
IPL 2020: FULL SCHEDULE OF THE LEAGUE STAGE
“Steve Smith is also an improved T20 player than last year. (Jofra) Archer has only gotten better as a fast pitcher, plus, without Rahane, who tended to hold them back in the crucial early overs, a dizzying start off the bat is expected. Sure. They lack a bit of depth in hitting, but Steve Smith’s type of hitters have made a big impact so far. ”
He also believed that Smith will be the cog around which the rest of Rajasthan’s hitting will have to turn.
“Steve Smith should try to be the glue in his batting innings for Rajasthan to compete against stronger teams,” Manjrekar said.
Manjrekar added that the tracks that are used at the three UAE venues – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – will be overworked and therefore may behave differently due to wear and tear during the course of the tournament.
“There are clear indications from early games that this tournament will be one of two halves. We are currently looking at the first half where the spikers are having fun and the ball is not spinning too much. The curators are extremely concerned about the traffic that will be in the fields the three locations in the United Arab Emirates over the next few weeks.
“In India, IPL is played in a dozen venues, so you can imagine the workload on these fields, so keeping a grass cover up front is the most obvious thing to do to ensure the fields don’t ‘age’ quickly. , “Manjrekar concluded.
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