Former India cricketer Ajit Agarkar has on Friday (September 11) opined on the veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh withdrawing from the upcoming 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 set be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 19th September.
The Turbanator was the second senior CSK cricketer to pull out of IPL 2020 citing personal reasons after Suresh Raina. He didn't even travel to Dubai with the team.
Reacting to Harbhajan’s absence, Agarkar, however, admitted it is obviously a “loss” for the CSK to not have one of the most experienced cricketers, but said it would not affect the three-time champions since the MS Dhoni-led side has plenty of options in the spin department.
Agarkar said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected: “Well, we have seen when they went to the auction, they already had enough spin. You’ve seen in Chennai when they play, they rely so much on spin because of the conditions. Harbhajan Singh, obviously, that kind of experience, the quality that you lose, it is going to be a loss, but I think CSK have a lot more cover in that department at least as far as spin is concerned.”
The former pacer also pointed out that the yellow army has Piyush Chawla, Imran Tahir, Mitchell Santner at their ranks, and in UAE’s spin-friendly conditions, they can step up to the plate.
He added, “They have got Piyush Chawla as well that they have brought in. This year they have got Tahir, Santner, so they have got enough spin and they will be hoping that the conditions are in their favor what they get in Chennai, which is a little bit of turn, then those spinners come into play.”
Agarkar also hopes that Deepak Chahar is ready for the challenge in the tournament opener against Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi considering captain MS Dhoni’s dependence on him after the 27-year old recovered from the COVID-19 disease and returned to training.
He signed off by saying, “As far as Chahar is concerned, I know Dhoni depends on him a lot to start with the new ball or bowls him up front, but when you have not played cricket for as long as all these players have, plus he has had this extra quarantine because of turning positive, might have less preparation time. But hopefully, the fitness levels are there, it’s about getting the skills right and getting some sort of bowling into your legs while they have some practice games, he’s probably going to be ready.”
