EXCLUSIVE
Follow UsChennai Super Kings (CSK) have made the worst possible start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season, having lost all their four matches so far. Ravindra Jadeja was named captain ahead of the tournament and it has not gone well for the all-rounder as he and his side search for their maiden win of the season.
Former England opener Nick Knight reckons injuries and players moving on has been a major factor in CSK’s poor start to the season. Whether or not Jadeja is struggling as captain, Knight rates him as the best player across facets of the game.
They take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who have won three of their four games this season, next.
“You've got to delve a little deeper and say when the spinners come on in the middle overs, you've got someone like Deepak Chahar, who is not playing, then you've got Shardul Thakur who has moved on,” Knight said on Cricket.com
“You could think about wicket-takers and quite often when the spinners come on they are 2-3 down. That makes the job of the spinners, just that easier. Not all that time, but just that little bit easier from time to time.
“What we're finding now is due to a number of absentees due to injuries and players moving on, and then you include Faf at the top of the order with Gaikwad, They are just not quite starting well with bat and ball.
“If Jadeja is struggling a little bit, he's not the first and won't be the last. The role of captain is a pretty damn tough one. I know he's got a vast experience around him. The support group around him is so strong. When I watch CSK on the field, I see MS Dhoni still making a lot of calls.
“That leadership is so strong with Jadeja and Dhoni, I don't think tactically you can say, well it's a new captain, they're making errors.
“For me, Jadeja stands No. 1 when you look at batting, bowling and fielding in this format, when you combine all three facets of the game, I don't think there's a better cricketer in the world than Ravindra Jadeja.”
When asked to pick the four overseas players for CSK, Knight went with Moeen Ali, Dwayne Bravo, Adam Milne and Dwaine Pretorius.
“For me, Moeen has to play. I'd like to see him bowl more overs,” Knight said.
“I think he has bowled just three overs for 32 in the three games he's played. He's an effective off-spin bowler. He varies his flight and pace well. I think they have missed a trick there. Dwayne Bravo picks himself.
“I would go Adam Milne when he is fit. I think he is a real wicket-taker, you look at his pace and variations. He is a really improved bowler in the last couple of years as well.
“I'd probably go Pretorius. In the game I've seen him play, I like the way he goes full outside off stump with the yorkers. He bowls the slower balls pretty well and whacks them as well. He gives them a slightly different dynamic. You could go Jordan as well. Jordan gives you that expertise at the death. But if it was me, I would go Mo, Bravo, Milne and Pretorius.”
In a blow for RCB, Harshal Patel is set to miss a few matches as he has left the bubble following his sister’s death. While it is not going to be easy to replace someone of Harshal’s quality, Knight reckons, RCB could go for Siddarth Kaul.
In his four matches so far, Harshal has picked up six wickets at an economy rate of 5.50.
“Good luck to whoever comes in because he is absolutely outstanding. He is quite brilliant. Of all the bowlers who bowl the last overs, he seems to be the best in the ability to outthink the batter and that's a great skill,” Knight, a veteran of 17 Tests and 100 ODIs said.
“There aren't too many who can do that and I think he certainly can. You've got a couple of options. You've got Josh Hazlewood, who could be a very fine bowler to come in, but you've got to rejig the overseas players a little bit and that might affect David Willey.
“I've always enjoyed Siddarth Kaul's bowling. I assume he is fully fit and ready to go, that might be an option as well. That is not going to be straightforward. When you are trying to replace someone of such quality, who has been winning games and setting up games with the ball, which is going to be difficult.”
After a couple of 20s in the first three games, wicketkeeper-batter Anuj Rawat scored a match-winning against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Saturday (April 9). Knight believes he will kick on from here.
“He got a couple of 20s and did not kick on. I covered the game and you are living with them a little bit because you're out there and know how important this game is,” Knight said.
“He got himself to 20 again and you're thinking to yourself, 'go on, go on, lad'. Get yourself to 40, get yourself to 60. Make yourself this moment where we all know as former players it kind of matters so much.
“You could be told that you're a good player but until you do it yourself, go over the line, get your first fifty, get yourself that major contribution that helps your side over the line. Until you do that for the first time, you do not believe.
“That would have given him lot of confidence. He looks a very good player. But for him to get over the line, bat with Faf and Kohli, that must have been an amazing experience and I think he is going to kick on now.”
