Rajkot under pressure: Will it be Jadeja, Raina or Ashwin?
MUMBAI: With MS Dhoni the frontrunner to become Pune’s first-choice, all eyes will be on Rajkot’s opening move as that should decide the two franchise’s game plan for the day.
Like in a game of chess, the one who opens play will have the advantage, which puts Pune in a great position to walk away with three very good picks; unless the Rajkot franchise play their cards astutely.
The pressure is on the Saurashtra-based team as a lot will depend on Rajkot’s first pick. If they go for popular local connect, then Ravindra Jadeja will be the favourite.
If they go for team balance, then one expects them to tick against Suresh Raina’s name. And in terms of brand value and captaincy option, R Ashwin is an ideal choice.
COMPLEX ASSESSMENT
As the experts analyse it, if not Jadeja then Raina is likely to be Rajkot’s first pick, which will allow Pune to go for Ashwin as the second pick.
Either way, the partnership of spin twins Jadeja and Ashwin is set to be broken. These four names are likely to be the initial picks, making it Dhoni and Ashwin versus Raina and Jadeja.
To make it three top buys for the Maharashtra team, Rajasthan Royals’ prolific batsman Ajinkya Rahane is likely to be the third buy.
“In the IPL, the franchises take into account so many factors to buy a player; the commercial angle also has a lot of importance, but if Rajkot goes for Raina as their first pick there will be a sense of balance because they can then go for Jadeja next as Ashwin in all probability will be signed by Pune,” said former India opener WV Raman, who has first-hand experience of coaching in the IPL.
The concern is that if Dhoni and Raina are allowed in one team, it will be a stronger combination than Dhoni and Ashwin. “You can’t discount the fact that Raina has been the No 1 performer in the IPL (he is the highest run-getter in IPL history with 3699 runs in 132 games at an average
of 34.25),” observed Raman.
GOOD CHOICES
While Ashwin would be the preferred choice as captain for any outfit, Raina is also multidimensional as he has decent experience of leading the side. “He used to captain Chennai Super Kings when Dhoni was off the field. He can also bowl useful off-spin,” observed Raman. Raina has also led India’s limited-overs sides.
Overall, in the draft picks, the two teams are expected to go for three Indians and two top foreigners with all-rounders Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner and Shane Watson along with dynamic New Zealand batsman Brendon Mccullum the top draws.