Back from the bench, Conway proves a point
MUMBAI: From Mike Hussey to Faf du Plessis, four-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings have always had bankable openers. This edition, in Devon Conway, they have unearthed another gem at the top of the order. It wasn’t an ideal start for the New Zealand left-handed batter, 30, who was benched after the first match. He then left the team bio-bubble to get married in South Africa, his country of birth. Recalled into the eleven in place of the injured Dwayne Bravo against Sunrisers Hyderabad three matches ago, he has made the opener’s slot his own.
He has hit fifties in the last three matches to aggregate 228 runs—he scored four runs in his first game. Importantly for CSK, Conway has forged an understanding with opening partner Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Their 110-run partnership— second century stand in three matches—against Delhi Capitals helped CSK post their fourth 200-plus score of this edition. Their bowlers then took them to a 91-run win, their fourth highest victory margin in IPL. Their 182run stand against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday was CSK’S highest in IPL, bettering the Shane Watson-faf du Plessis partnership of 181 in 2020.
The CSK management, like it has been with Gaikwad over the last couple of seasons, has given Conway confidence and it is showing. He is the third CSK player to score three or more fifties in a row. Gaikwad was the first, at the end of the 2020 season, while Du Plessis went one better last season. “I am just happy to build that partnership up with Rutu, and the way he’s playing, he makes my job easier. I have to be true to myself. I look to play cricket shots and just assess where to put my foot down,” Conway said.
Conway and Gaikwad are the latest of the quality openers CSK have had. Besides Hussey and Du Plessis, the list has Matthew Shane Watson, Dwayne Smith, Brendon Mccullum and
Murali Vijay.
Conway made his T20 debut for New Zealand in Nov 2020, producing top knocks at home. He entered the 2021 IPL auction at a base price of ₹50 lakh but went unsold. Four days later, he scored an unbeaten 59-ball 99 at No 4 against Australia in Christchurch, after which R Ashwin tweeted: “Devon Conway is just 4 days late, but what a knock.”
This season, CSK picked him up for ₹1 crore. Interestingly, Conway has opened just once for New Zealand in T20s, mostly batting at No 3 or 4. The hallmark of his last three innings is his ease facing spinners. On Sunday, he didn’t let DC left-arm spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav settle down, scoring 54 runs off the 20 balls they bowled to him. He was severe on Kuldeep, scoring 37 of the 43 runs the chinaman bowler conceded in his wicketless spell.
Conway said after the match that skipper MS Dhoni advised him to play straight against the spinners after his dismissal against RCB leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga in a 13-run loss. “In the last game I swept quite a lot, and unfortunately got out playing the sweep. Dhoni said to me, ‘I think the guys are going to bowl fuller to you. So maybe come out and try to hit them straight.’ So, he sort of gave me the guidelines to try to execute that. That’s what I tried to do.”
Of his seven fours and five sixes, only one six came off a sweep. The rest came coming down the wicket. Conway may not possess some of the fancy T20 shots but his ability to play on both sides of the wicket means he can stick to conventional strokes. “For me, the key is to try and be very simple. My blueprint is quite simple, in the first six overs I try to play strong cricket shots,” Conway said.
Chennai Super Kings have always had the best openers at their disposal in the IPL. Here's a list of their all-time top-five scorers while opening the batting
READ: Chahal and Hasaranga, band of leg-spinners and a Royal Challengers Bangalore connect