Published 07:49 IST, October 11th 2020
IPL 2020: Chennai fans yearn for Suresh Raina's return as MS Dhoni & co search for answers
What Chennai might be missing is the services of an experienced Suresh Raina - a man who knows how to bat till the end of the innings & guide them to victory
An out-of-place Chennai find themselves in a very weird fix at this point in the Dream11 IPL 2020 as they registered their fifth loss on Saturday to Virat Kohli's Bangalore. MS Dhoni & co, a seasoned unit and three-time champions, have never found themselves in such deep trouble in the first leg of the marquee tournament in its past and for the Yellove fans, this certainly isn't a good sign. Despite getting off to a winning start in the IPL 2020, Chennai's course in the tournament so far has pinpointed to many shortcomings in the side - in MS Dhoni's words, 'We (Chennai) need to do something about it'.
Chennai's batting order has been a worrying factor in the IPL 2020 - given the fact that the top order has not been consistent whatsoever excluding the always-attempting Faf du Plessis. While the opening woes continue to boggle Chennai with Shane Watson's string on low scores, the onus lands on the coveted number three spot - the position that was owned by Suresh Raina for the Men in Yellow until this year. Suresh Raina's absence from the IPL 2020 has been a talking point for Chennai and the southpaw could as well be the catalyst that gets Chennai going again.
While Ambati Rayudu has been in a fine touch coming out at number three, Chennai found another promising batter in the form of Jagadeeshan who played his first game in the IPL 2020 on Saturday, replacing Kedar Jadhav. The issue that MS Dhoni & team are staring at is the ability to finish off the matches despite getting solid starts from the top four batsmen. What Chennai might be missing is the services of the experienced Suresh Raina - a man who knows how to bat out till the end of the innings and guide the team till the finish line.
Chennai have played seven games so far, have won two and have lost five and at this moment it looks like they need to win the remainder of their fixtures in order to keep their Playoffs streak intact. Fans have been repeatedly pleading to their Chinna Thala Suresh Raina to make a comeback to the side and it was no different after CSK's 37-run defeat to Bangalore. The southpaw left IPL 2020 right before the tournament's commencement, citing 'personal reasons'. His absence has hurt Chennai as they have been unable to find a suitable replacement for Suresh Raina and it is beginning to show now. Suresh Raina's return could possibly be the boost that Chennai's batting order so desperately needs and it could indeed be their key to finishing the games - given his tandem with Captain Cool MS Dhoni.
'Come back Suresh Raina!', cry Chennai fans
'Need to do something about it': MS Dhoni
"I think the last 4 overs when we were bowling before that the bowlers had done a good job, we needed to close it nicely. Batting has been a bit of a worry and today also it was evident. We need to do something about it. We can't just keep turning up. It is almost the same thing that is happening maybe the individuals are different but I think we are better off playing the other way round. Play the big shots and even if you get out it is fine because we can't leave too many after the 15th or 16th over that just puts too much pressure on the lower order batsmen. Our batting has lacked a bit of, you can say, power more from the 6th over onwards, individuals get tentative and no matter how much confidence you are giving them, ultimately they have to have their own plan as to how to play. We have not been able to adapt and plan for bowlers bowling from 6-14 overs", said Dhoni.
Updated 07:50 IST, October 11th 2020