Chennai Super Kings has looked rusty this season. Seven games and two wins is not something associated with the three-time IPL champions. CSK will play Sunrisers Hyderabad in a life and death situation with resurrection in mind.
Chennai has not been able to fill the void left by Suresh Raina, who returned home citing personal reasons. This has caused problems of medium order. However, the MS Dhoni team can still bounce back with the right moves in the midseason transfer.
But who can solve the CSK problem? Harsha Bhogle, an Indian commentator, has suggested a solution. He took to Twitter on Saturday and suggested that CSK should go for a top-notch hitter like Ajinkya Rahane. So is the vice-captain of the Indian team on MS Dhoni’s radar?
IPL 2020: Why Ajinkya Rahane?
Rahane is one of the few hitters who have racked up more than 3,500 runs. The right-handed hitter has a total of 3,835 runs with two hundred and 27 fifty. He was widely regarded as a non-T20 player, but his 2012 season with the Rajasthan Royals smashed all stereotypes.
He caught the attention of Shane Watson (now with CSK) of the Rajasthan Royals, who had seen him score a hundred 80 balls in a session in the second inning of a three-day game against Australia A in 2010. Mumbai Indians Rahul Dravid and Watson got Rahane to open the entrances. “Opening up hitting with Rahul bhai gave me the opportunity to express myself and show my hitting prowess,” he explained.
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Rahane is now playing with Delhi Capitals and desperately looking for games this season. The only match he has played so far was against the Mumbai Indians, where he entered for the injured Rishabh Pant. It means that Rahane is more likely to be benched again once Pant recovers.
Bhogle has come up with a solution that will be beneficial to both Rahane and CSK. He believes the 32-year-old Mumbai hitter will be a good buy for CSK in the midseason transfer. “How’s this for a midseason transfer thinking? #CSK I desperately need a top quality hitter. Ajinkya Rahane desperately needs a game. Ajinkya Rahane is not going to get a game. “
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IPL 2020: How can the addition of Rahane help the struggling CSK?
Chennai has pitched first in all seven games so far. Barring their matches against the Rajasthan Royals, the bowling department has done a good job of restricting opponents to a total of 180 or less. However, it is the hitting that has yet to act. Other than Faf du Plessis, none of CSK’s hitters have shown consistency this season.
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Captain Dhoni even criticized his underperforming hitting after the 10-run loss to the Kolkata Knights. He said the batsman had let the bowlers down. “In the middle of the overs there was a phase where they threw two or three good overs and then we lost three wickets. That was the phase where we really lost it. If we had hit better after that period, the result would have been different. (Sam) Curran was very good on the ball, and I think we did well on the ball overall. 160 odd runs is something we should have chased, but I think today we hitters let down the bowlers. “
“The rotation of the strike was important. Sometimes later I felt like we couldn’t finish, there were hardly any limits in the later overs so we need to be innovative in the end when they are continually hitting a back of a length. That’s where we have to adapt better with the bat and I don’t think we did, ”he said.
This is where Rahane comes in. The 32-year-old hitter is versatile and can play from starter to No. 6. His versatility with the willow can play an important role in CSK’s batting department.
His best position in CSK would be No. 3 or 4, previously held by Raina. Rahane can act as an anchor and allow hitters like Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja to play more freely.
IPL 2020: CSK must act fast if it wants Rahane
Under the rules, a franchise can buy any player who has played less than two games. It means CSK has time until Wednesday when the Delhi Capitals will play the Rajasthan Royals. If DC opts for Rahane to play XI, he will not be eligible to join CSK.
