Bit of concern about CSK: Hazlewood
Team’s Aussie pacer, set to play in his maiden IPL, says he will consult Cricket Australia before leaving for UAE
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: With the spotlight on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) due to multiple Covid-19 positive cases and confusion over experienced campaigner Suresh Raina’s abrupt decision to fly back home from UAE citing personal reasons, the franchise’s new recruit Josh Hazlewood admitted he was anxious as the Australia fast bowler prepares to join the squad for IPL 2020.
“There’s a bit of concern,” Hazlewood said. “Ideally would have been great had there been no cases. They (those affected) are in quarantine now and I think that finishes in the next few days.”
The pacer, set to play in his first IPL, said he will consult Cricket Australia before leaving for UAE. Hazlewood is currently in England for the limited-overs series starting September 4.
“We’ll wait till things start to clear up more as we get closer to the start of IPL. We’ll touch base with Cricket Australia, have a chat and then see,” said Hazlewood, 29.
CSK have had to delay the start of training after several members, including pacer
Deepak Chahar and batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad tested positive for Covid-19. It has also raised questions over protocols followed at the five-day preparatory camp in Chennai before the squad left for UAE.
On Monday, CSK reposed faith in captain Mahendra
Singh Dhoni. “Dhoni is a true leader, and he will lead us in this battle. I have spoken to him, he is very focused, said N Srinivasan, MD, India Cements, owners of CSK.
CSK’s stand on Raina
“We respect Suresh Raina. He has done a lot for CSK. We will always stand by him in this period. His absence will create a big hole in any team. He has said it is personal, and we respect that. We were called a team of old men, and we won the championship,” Srinivasan said on CSK’s winning in 2018.
“The tournament has not yet started. We will see. Raina will be missed, but CSK will be fine.”
The other worry in the CSK camp is the 13 who are currently recovering. The team is yet to complete the quarantine protocols before they can have their first practice session in UAE.
In the absence of Raina, Dhoni should bat at No 3, feels former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir.
“It will be a good opportunity for MS Dhoni to come and bat at No. 3,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
“And he has been away from the game for the last one year, so he would end up getting a lot more balls to face and then he can actually play the anchor innings as well, which he has been doing for India for the last couple of years,” the two-time IPL-winning skipper said.
“With Dhoni at No. 3, they have got depth with Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, all those guys they can come in,” Gambhir said.
Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) South African batsman AB de Villiers described his firsttraining session in UAE as “really good”.
“It was very good, enjoyable to be out there, the wicket was a bit sticky so it was a great challenge, actually if I could have it my way, I would have wanted my first net session to go like this only after a long time,” De Villiers said on Twitter. “I kept my basics in place, watched the ball carefully, I played some nice shots in the end and it was enjoyable,” he added.
Ganguly upbeat
Bullish about the IPL’s success as a TV-only event, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said he expects the event to shatter viewership records this year.
“Crowds will watch it on television...they (the broadcasters) are actually expecting the highest rating of IPL this season because they believe if (people) don’t turn up in the ground, they will be actually watching on their television sets,” Ganguly said while delivering an online lecture as part of the ‘Symbiosis Golden Jubilee Lecture Series’. “There is a positive in everything,” he added.