The former India cricketer Ashish Nehra in his latest interaction talked about how Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have come back from failing to qualify for playoffs in IPL 2020 to maintaining a second spot on the points table in IPL 2021.
Even though the Chennai-based franchise have made a strong a comeback from a disappointing tournament last year, Nehra is not shocked about this turnover as he believes CSK skipper MS Dhoni knows how to lift a team which is down and out.
“It is no secret that CSK are one of the best sides in the IPL. Nobody knows better than CSK and MS Dhoni how to lift a team that is down and out and build it again. There were many reasons why CSK struggled in the UAE last year,” Nehra said.
“One of their key players, Suresh Raina, was not there. Also, they missed a trick by not focusing on having at least one good fast bowler. Josh Hazlewood played only three matches,” he told Cricbuzz.
The left-arm quick then pointed out how the three-time champions rectified their mistakes from last year’s edition in IPL 2021.
“CSK has rectified the error with regards to fast bowling this time with Lungi Ngidi. He has not played all the matches but he has been in the mix. Sam Curran and Dwayne Bravo played a lot together earlier,” the former India quick said.
“But considering his age, Bravo cannot be expected to do the same job as he was doing earlier. Dhoni and CSK have understood that Bravo cannot bowl four overs at the backend anymore,” he added.
The Delhi-based cricketer then talked about the reason behind CSK being so successful in IPL is that they are flexible and versatile with their thoughts and actions.
“Look at Dhoni himself. He knows that at the age of 40, he cannot hit sixes as frequently as he used to do at his peak. That is why he is sending Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran ahead of him. This is the speciality of the team,” the 42-year-old said.
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The former India quick then hailed the CSK skipper and an ace wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni for perfectly utilizing services of English all-rounder Moeen Ali.
“Suresh Raina had not played a lot of matches going into IPL 2021. So CSK decided to send Moeen Ali at No. 3, who is playing regular T20.
Moeen has been given freedom and a clear message on how to play. He can contribute with the ball as well and is a highly experienced cricketer for England. So CSK have utilized him smartly by making him a part of the core group,” the cricketer-turned-commentator signed off.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
