Fair thought but I would argue they can play Conway, Moeen, Stokes and Pathirana.
Ajinkya is coming good this season but this is unsual revelation of him as a T20 cricketer. Also, why look for a stop-gap skipper when you have a world cup winner?
As for the death bowling , Hangargekar can be groomed into one. I thought he bowled really well with whatever little I managed to watch of him. Is he injured too or Dhoni decided to exclude him just like he did with Irfan Pathan who was otherwise brilliant in domestic T20s around the years Dhoni decided to bench him for a couple of season eventually effecting an early retirement for him.
IIRC, I read somewhere that Dhoni told a bowler to play under a different captain. Not sure if it was Hangargekar.
Anyway, IMO, Pathirana and Hangargekar can be good bowling partners.
Dhoni said that if bowlers continued overstepping they’d have to play under a different captain. Hangargekar was one of those who did previously and hasn’t been seen since so I assume he hasn’t got it under control in the nets. It’s quite funny given that Deshpande himself has been a frequent conceder of free hits in the past due to him overstepping for pace.
I don’t think Theekshana is getting dropped. He’s the only frontline spinner we have who is good at the moment other than Satnav. I assume the latter isn’t playing due to his similarity with Jadeja even if they bowl different deliveries on average. Every T20 side needs a frontline spinner that’s good and the Chepauk allows us to pick a defensive spinner like Theekshana and get away with it rather than an aggressive one like Tahir in the past. I agree with Stokes being a Flintoff 2.0 at this stage, he isn’t really necessary for CSK’s success at this moment and is a luxury player (but what a luxury player to have though!).
Pretty comprehensive win and great signs that Chepauk is returning to the kind of pitches that make it a fortress for CSK. On these kind of pitches, 160 is incredibly tough to chase and the moment CSK crossed it and with the kind of spinners in our attack, I knew this was our game and it happened that way. I still wish Pathirana hadn't given that many runs in the final over as it would've been good to get our NRR into 0.5's, but still he had yet another brilliant game himself. Its absolutely astonishing with the way Pathirana has delivered in this season. We started this season thinking that we were very thin/weak on death bowling, but Pathirana's elevation has ensured that the likes of Magala, Pretorius are waiting for their chances in the bench and those two are pretty stellar death bowlers themselves.
My POTM was Dhoni today. Jadeja was decent, but that cameo knock of 20 off 9 balls was a big difference in the end. Although it was really surprising to see Dhoni's declining game awareness and the signs of age getting to him. At the toss, he said "Rayudu is coming in for Shivam" although both Rayudu and Shivam played in the XI. And at the post match presentation when Murali Kartik asked him if he thought Santner would've been a better pick than Pathirana as the Impact Sub, Dhoni seemed to indicate that 4 foreigners had already played by then and Santner couldn't have come in (which is not true, since only Conway, Moeen and Theekshana were part of the game by then). Also the man is literally playing on one knee but it doesn't matter, does it?
Need 1 win in the remaining 2 games to seal the playoff spot. Although I wish we win both to seal Top 2 as Mumbai is one team that can challenge the Top 2 if they win all their remaining 3 and CSK lose 1.
Fair thought but I would argue they can play Conway, Moeen, Stokes and Pathirana.
Ajinkya is coming good this season but this is unsual revelation of him as a T20 cricketer. Also, why look for a stop-gap skipper when you have a world cup winner?
As for the death bowling , Hangargekar can be groomed into one. I thought he bowled really well with whatever little I managed to watch of him. Is he injured too or Dhoni decided to exclude him just like he did with Irfan Pathan who was otherwise brilliant in domestic T20s around the years Dhoni decided to bench him for a couple of season eventually effecting an early retirement for him.
IIRC, I read somewhere that Dhoni told a bowler to play under a different captain. Not sure if it was Hangargekar.
Anyway, IMO, Pathirana and Hangargekar can be good bowling partners.
Theekshana on turning pitches is a MUST. Its either Theekshana or Santner. Stokes has no chance of getting in when CSK's template is to spin out oppositions, which is how they mount their squad every season.
And my above line also leads to the answer for your point on captaincy - with Stokes not really fitting into the side well enough, he CANNOT be a future captaincy option for CSK. He might be a WC winner, but unless he demands a permanent place in the XI in all games, he wont be given captaincy. From the happenings in these few games, it definitely seems like Rahane is playing the role of vice captain along with Deepak Chahar. I dont see Ruturaj as much in these discussions and I can see either Rahane or Chahar leading the side when Dhoni doesnt play.
Hangargekar is a weird scenario. After getting good praise from Dhoni, he has been discarded and it definitely seems like either the no-ball issue or his bowling action. I can see Hangargekar getting chances in coming seasons like how they slowly gave Tushar the opportunities.
Pathirana and Conway are STEALS! Pathirana as a mid-season replacement for Adam Milne was a surprise, but when you saw his action and the way Dhoni glowingly praised him in a stinker of a 2022 season, you know there is something great coming!
On Conway - I remember staying up till 4AM (USA time) during that mega auction scratching my head as to who is going to be our opener after we lost Faf and couldn't get either of Warner or De Kock (after entering into bidding wars on them). Conway came up in the final accelerated bid and we got him for 1C and it was the first and the final bid. Now the commentators are saying that CSK have the best opening pair in the competition and fans have forgotten Faf Du Plessis (who is still doing well with the bat, albeit for.... don't wanna rub salt on their wounds after Phil Salt created those wounds recently for them ).
Pathirana and Conway are STEALS! Pathirana as a mid-season replacement for Adam Milne was a surprise, but when you saw his action and the way Dhoni glowingly praised him in a stinker of a 2022 season, you know there is something great coming!
On Conway - I remember staying up till 4AM (USA time) during that mega auction scratching my head as to who is going to be our opener after we lost Faf and couldn't get either of Warner or De Kock (after entering into bidding wars on them). Conway came up in the final accelerated bid and we got him for 1C and it was the first and the final bid. Now the commentators are saying that CSK have the best opening pair in the competition and fans have forgotten Faf Du Plessis (who is still doing well with the bat, albeit for.... don't wanna rub salt on their wounds after Phil Salt created those wounds recently for them ).
Faf would have fit the post MS transition for CSK like hand in glove. There is already some CSK effect in the current RCB side with at least some people being given a longer rope. But, as long as Kohli is there, he will be bigger than the team and it just all becomes about him. At least that is how I feel right now. I have noticed a pattern on CSK where they never spill the purse on their overseas batter but instead choose a value buy focussing more on multi skill set foreigners. I have no doubt in my mind that CSK intentionally pumped Maxwell's price so that they can buy Moeen Ali for cheaper after one of the franchises exhausted a big chunk on Maxwell. Moeen Ali was at RCB for 1.5 Cr.
A word on Patirana- From what I have read and heard, MS saw vids of him bowling in Lanka and immediately wanted him. Just shows that you do not need to be at the auction table and be pumping fists and exchanging high 5's.
Faf would have fit the post MS transition for CSK like hand in glove. There is already some CSK effect in the current RCB side with at least some people being given a longer rope. But, as long as Kohli is there, he will be bigger than the team and it just all becomes about him. At least that is how I feel right now. I have noticed a pattern on CSK where they never spill the purse on their overseas batter but instead choose a value buy focussing more on multi skill set foreigners. I have no doubt in my mind that CSK intentionally pumped Maxwell's price so that they can buy Moeen Ali for cheaper after one of the franchises exhausted a big chunk on Maxwell. Moeen Ali was at RCB for 1.5 Cr.
A word on Patirana- From what I have read and heard, MS saw vids of him bowling in Lanka and immediately wanted him. Just shows that you do not need to be at the auction table and be pumping fists and exchanging high 5's.
Maxwell vs Moeen? Moeen was retained prior to the mega auction and was not in the auction. I am 50-50 on Faf because during that mega auction, I felt Faf was at the wrong side of the age and I completely understood why CSK didn't go deeper on him. Yes he could've easily played a full 3 year mega auction cycle for CSK (if mega auctions will still be a thing in the future, is unknown?) but I wa not disappointed when we lost him.
On Pathirana - you are right! Sources say that MSD saw videos from a local SL tournament of him and sent him a letter to get vaccinated so that he can join CSK. Similarly, Theekshana was a CSK management decision after seeing his bowling stats in SL's local tournament. Theekshana hasnt set this IPL on fire, but he was excellent last year and also did really well for JSK in the SAT20. For so long, CSK stayed away from picking Sri Lankan players (due to the whole politics of Sri Lanka vs Tamil Eelam issue) but the environment has changed and CSK have smartly got these two boys.
Once again DC failed to chase, since 2010 Delhi not able to win at Chepauk Ground, jadejas stand of 38 with MS & his Economy of 3.4 earned him MOTM but Pathirana also Close to win the same with A catch & 3 wkts
They used the 2020 IPL as a base. Ideally, one Eliminator each in Chennai and Jaipur should have been ideal. But then again, I won't put it past the BCCI to somehow tie this into the CWC scheduling with Chennai missing out on a major India game.
Theekshana on turning pitches is a MUST. Its either Theekshana or Santner. Stokes has no chance of getting in when CSK's template is to spin out oppositions, which is how they mount their squad every season.
I agree with you and @Bevab on Theekshana but then you suggested to get Sam Curran in as a death bowler to support Pathirana. With Theekshana being CSK's best spinner and Conway easily your best batsman, do you mean to say they should drop Moeen Ali for Curran? I don't see that happening. Dube is playing fantastic this season but you would want someone like Moeen who can up the ante with the bat and also chip in with some spin on helpful pitches at Chepauk.
All in all, I reckon these 4 foreign players give excellent balance to the XI. If anything, CSK would want to get a replacement of Dhoni the keeper. Wait, Conway can keep wickets, right? Can he be trusted with gloves AND open the batting consistently?
Till then I hope Hangargekar solves whatever issue there is between him and big headed Dhoni. Hangargekar looked as a bright prospect who could come good with some advice and practice. Don't want Dhoni to make another Irfan Pathan out of him.
As evident from my last couple of posts, I don't like the ultra importance that Dhoni gets. I'm not a hater. In fact, I used to root for him, Dheeraj Jadhav, Gaurav Dhiman etc before he even made his intl debut. It's that people treat him like God and think he can no wrong also giving him a lot of leeway like him running into the ground from dugout few seasons ago to argue with umpire, him ruining the career of Irfan by benching him for two seasons despite being in good form and his abilities as an all-rounder that could have balanced the side a lot more.Him asking for DRS yesterday instead of the batsman who didn't even bother to signal for the head high wide ball in which the decision remained unchanged (God knows how many Dhoni Review System memes and videos would have been made if that decision was overturned). He was clearly a meek rabbit when playing for India in T20Is who on multiple occasions took the game way too slow and lost us the game like the one against NZ wherein Santner choked him. Such instances of ridiculous T20I batting are far too many to be swept under the rug all this while he was playing like a beast for his India Cements team CSK making any sane person question his thought process. Not to mention, he never let any keeper stay around in any format even in IPL despite there being a better wkb especially at the stretched last few years of his INTL career unlike Sangakkara and McCullum. He always played it safe and his fans made him look like only he won/finished the matches for India. He was one of the better finishers and a brilliant mind for sure but he still didn't do justice to his immense batting ability at the T20I level and on many occasions ODIs as well.
Once again DC failed to chase, since 2010 Delhi not able to win at Chepauk Ground, jadejas stand of 38 with MS & his Economy of 3.4 earned him MOTM but Pathirana also Close to win the same with A catch & 3 wkts
I agree with you and @Bevab on Theekshana but then you suggested to get Sam Curran in as a death bowler to support Pathirana. With Theekshana being CSK's best spinner and Conway easily your best batsman, do you mean to say they should drop Moeen Ali for Curran? I don't see that happening. Dube is playing fantastic this season but you would want someone like Moeen who can up the ante with the bat and also chip in with some spin on helpful pitches at Chepauk.
All in all, I reckon these 4 foreign players give excellent balance to the XI. If anything, CSK would want to get a replacement of Dhoni the keeper. Wait, Conway can keep wickets, right? Can he be trusted with gloves AND open the batting consistently?
Till then I hope Hangargekar solves whatever issue there is between him and big headed Dhoni. Hangargekar looked as a bright prospect who could come good with some advice and practice. Don't want Dhoni to make another Irfan Pathan out of him.
As evident from my last couple of posts, I don't like the ultra importance that Dhoni gets. I'm not a hater. In fact, I used to root for him, Dheeraj Jadhav, Gaurav Dhiman etc before he even made his intl debut. It's that people treat him like God and think he can no wrong also giving him a lot of leeway like him running into the ground from dugout few seasons ago to argue with umpire, him ruining the career of Irfan by benching him for two seasons despite being in good form and his abilities as an all-rounder that could have balanced the side a lot more.Him asking for DRS yesterday instead of the batsman who didn't even bother to signal for the head high wide ball in which the decision remained unchanged (God knows how many Dhoni Review System memes and videos would have been made if that decision was overturned). He was clearly a meek rabbit when playing for India in T20Is who on multiple occasions took the game way too slow and lost us the game like the one against NZ wherein Santner choked him. Such instances of ridiculous T20I batting are far too many to be swept under the rug all this while he was playing like a beast for his India Cements team CSK making any sane person question his thought process. Not to mention, he never let any keeper stay around in any format even in IPL despite there being a better wkb especially at the stretched last few years of his INTL career unlike Sangakkara and McCullum. He always played it safe and his fans made him look like only he won/finished the matches for India. He was one of the better finishers and a brilliant mind for sure but he still didn't do justice to his immense batting ability at the T20I level and on many occasions ODIs as well.
Internationals being painted a “holier than thou” picture. Yes he has equal emotions for the India Cements franchise and like many other players, play with lot more clarity and lesser pressure than intl cricket. International cricket makes money just like franchise cricket. Doesn’t make international cricket any holier. They use the country’s name without even the permission of the government (don’t even get me started on BCCI’s private entity status).
Any proof that he didn’t let wicketkeepers stay? This is like saying “Lata Mangeshkar ruined many female singers careers” (the favorite Bollywood conspiracy theory of the past few decades).
Internationals being painted a “holier than thou” picture. Yes he has equal emotions for the India Cements franchise and like many other players, play with lot more clarity and lesser pressure than intl cricket. International cricket makes money just like franchise cricket. Doesn’t make international cricket any holier. They use the country’s name without even the permission of the government (don’t even get me started on BCCI’s private entity status).
Any proof that he didn’t let wicketkeepers stay? This is like saying “Lata Mangeshkar ruined many female singers careers” (the favorite Bollywood conspiracy theory of the past few decades).
I am sorry, but I do not agree with this. Your response seems to be clear case of being an avid CSK follower without any attachment to his country. International cricket ought to be holier than club- I understand that you have moved on from this arena, however, for the majority of the public who follow the game, international will drive the passions.
As for the BCCI using the country's name- again, your hatred for international games doesnt mean that you can malign the representative organization here. @Fenil point is well taken when he outlines the differences in MSD approach w.r.t CSK and w.r.t India. You may not agree, however, the fact remains that well wishers of Indian cricket would never put a measly franchise over and above the national team.
I have said it previously, CSK is a franchise that doesnt take care of youngsters. Making them stay in the team for years and then letting them go isnt the way to groom a player. Raj Hangargekar would have been served well in MI or KKR.
I am sorry, but I do not agree with this. Your response seems to be clear case of being an avid CSK follower without any attachment to his country. International cricket ought to be holier than club- I understand that you have moved on from this arena, however, for the majority of the public who follow the game, international will drive the passions.
As for the BCCI using the country's name- again, your hatred for international games doesnt mean that you can malign the representative organization here. @Fenil point is well taken when he outlines the differences in MSD approach w.r.t CSK and w.r.t India. You may not agree, however, the fact remains that well wishers of Indian cricket would never put a measly franchise over and above the national team.
My argument/opinion stands! International cricket is not holier than clubs. Both make money and contribute to the development of the game. If any, international cricket is toxic with its misplaced patriotism (mostly in subcontinent nations) and I have this opinion without any CSK bias.
Maligning representative organization? What are you talking about? I said that players play with a lot more freedom/clarity when playing for franchises than when they play with their country name that is tied to the private entity that is associated with ICC.
Well wishers of international cricket can have whatever opinions they want to. I’m a well wisher of Indian cricket (for years now) and according to me, international sport is as equal to franchise cricket in terms of money (franchise is better in entertainment 10x). Intl cricket survives by using country name and tingles the feel good hormones of ppl by making them think “if my country wins, it’s better than the country it beats”. When they lose, the feeling of “my country has lost to that country…”. But few days/months later, the reverse happens and the mood changes. See how shallow it is? None of this in franchise leagues. Watch it for what it is - entertainment. Rather than using patriotism as a one-trick card.
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