The aura of invincibility surrounding Chennai Super Kings have faded to a large extent after their defeats against Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League. It was clear that the exodus of their three foreign recruits have dealt them a huge blow.
Jacob Oram, Matthew Hayden, and Mike Hussey have returned to their respective countries’ duty. Chennai has definitely missed Oram in the last couple of matches when he could have brought some changes to the course of the match with his all-round skills.
The burly New Zealander spoke to Deccan Herald about the way forward for the Super Kings, about IPL and cricket back home.
Excerpts:
Your IPL experience…
Yeah, it was a terrific experience. The concept was amazing as a lot of players from all countries playing together, something like a brotherhood. I enjoyed it, and I am sure it is going to be a success in the years to come. The Chennai team is a good mix of players, and it was easy to mingle with all of them. It was also amazing to see the diverse culture of India. It was a sort of eye-opener for me.
I have been pleasantly surprised by how well we have gelled together, and the spirit shown. I thought with different ages, languages, cultures it would be a touch difficult, but in the Chennai camp it has been great the way we have come together.
Is it disappointing that you had to cut the IPL campaign mid-way and return home?
Well, country always comes first before anything. It has to be like that for all sportspersons as there is nothing more alluring than playing for your country. I am sure the series against New Zealand will offer me various challenges. Yeah, it was a bit disappointing to cut the IPL programme short, in the sense; I was getting to know my colleagues and the City better. Hopefully, I will have a longer stint next season with them.
Since your departure the Super Kings' performance has gone down a bit, slipping from top of the table. What do you reckon as the way forward for them?
I am not unduly anxious about the slip. It is part and parcel of the game. Whether you are playing international or domestic level, it requires a lot of hard work to keep the number one spot. Despite the effort, some times teams will fail to bring in the desired result. You have to be patient and work on the basics, which is same in any format of the game. I am sure the Super Kings will bounce back sooner than later as they are a good side led by a good captain (Mahendra Singh Dhoni).
Your take on Dhoni as captain…
He is a fantastic guy and a superb captain. It is quite admirable the way he captains the side. He hardly loses temper in any situation, and always knows what exactly to do. He also has to do the wicketkeeping, and it is quite amazing the way he blends captaincy and 'keeping.
Dhoni does not show much emotion on the field, and it is a good quality because the opponents cannot read whether he is frustrated or what he thinks. But, believe me, he is calmly aggressive.
There has been a lot of talk about the big amount of money involved in the IPL. Did you find it as a little too hot to handle?
As I said earlier, any amount money is not bigger than playing for your country. We were not on a holiday as we were playing competitive games. Once we enter the field there is only aim in front of us, to win the matches for our team. There is no distraction as far as the amount of money involved. In fact, the money is good for the game, as it can be used as a development tool to spread the game further. If you know how to use and enjoy money, it will not be a big issue.
What challenges are you going to face in England?
It (challenges) could be of varying nature in England. First of all, ours is a younger side with not much of experience. But at home (against England), we had showed that we can match them on a consistent basis. Now the challenge ahead of us is to do away from home conditions. We have a good crop of pace bowlers, who should be able to exploit the seam-friendly English conditions.
But, England are a very strong side. They have experience and talent and the top order batsmen average 40-45.
The bowlers can swing it and good in those conditions. Tackling (Ryan) Sidebottom will be the key as he is on cloud nine at the moment.
