Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have suffered quite a few blows after arriving in UAE for the 2020 edition of Indian Premier League.
13 members of the CSK squad, including two cricketers, were tested positive for COVID-19, which led to the team starting their practice session one week late as they had to undergo an extended quarantine.
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As if this wasn’t enough, Super Kings’ star batsman Suresh Raina and veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh pulled out of the tournament citing “personal reasons”.
Despite a series of setbacks, CSK all-rounder Shane Watson is optimistic about the team’s good showing in the upcoming IPL.
“Having an experienced team means your players have more understanding of being able to get their skills to execute under pressure from game one,” Watson said on Nabeel Hashmi’s YouTube show.
“That is why we believe we’ve got a great chance of having a great year because of the quality of players and the experience we’ve got.
“We’ve got more chance of not making many mistakes trying to get up to speed as quickly as we possibly can.”
After retiring from international cricket in 2016, Watson has become one of T20 leagues’ biggest freelancers, plying his trade across the globe.
The 39-year-old is banking on that experience to flourish in his next assignment.
“I’ve sort of been away playing T20 tournaments on and off for the last four years or so,” he said.
“I have more of an understanding (now) but still it’s a challenge to be able to get your skills up.”
Watson also had special praise reserved for CSK’s leadership group, which backed him during tough times last season.
“The 2018 season was one of my better seasons, it wasn’t just the final (where Watson made a match-winning century).”
“But last year, certainly CSK stuck with me through thick and thin. In every other team that I’ve been in, I may have been dropped a couple of games before I got the runs against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.”
“Just them backing me, knowing my next few good innings were around the corner, (was amazing). Only world-class leaders will really stick by and have the confidence to do that, given the calibre of the players we’ve got.”
