Suresh Raina has scored only one half-century in the IPL 2021 so far.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star batter Suresh Raina has struggled to get back his touch in the ongoing IPL 2021. It's a huge concern for CSK as Raina has been among the major contributors over the years and he is there to provide solidity in the middle-order.
However, former India cricketer Virender Sehwag believes it's highly unlikely that captain MS Dhoni would look to replace Raina with anyone else. He added that the batting depth of Super Kings allows Dhoni to not worry about Raina much.
“I don’t think Dhoni would have any doubts about Raina’s batting order. The captain knows very well that the latter isn’t performing well. But he wouldn’t think about replacing Raina with someone else. He knows his team’s batting line-up has depth - till Shardul Thakur. So, he won’t worry about Raina’s batting position,” said Sehwag during a discussion on Cricbuzz.
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Raina has come to bat over Dhoni in the batting line-up but the southpaw hasn't put on a top-notch knock yet. Sehwag said that the CSK skipper would want Raina to get some important runs before the playoffs begin.
“Dhoni didn’t come up in the order but sent Raina ahead of him. But the latter played a rash shot and lost his wicket. MS will surely want Raina to score some runs before competing in the playoffs.
“Sometimes players keep on trying but couldn’t score and Suresh Raina must keep the process on. But he is that kind of a player who might score directly in the playoffs because he has ample experience with him.
“He loves to play this format and I think, there will be one game when he will get runs and he must wait for that. Till then, he must go for playing the balls instead of scoring runs,” added Sehwag.
CSK, after beating Sunrisers Hyderabad, became the first team to qualify for the playoffs. Delhi Capitals are the second team to enter the playoffs after Punjab Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday (October 1).
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)