CSK: Taming the terrain with Thala on top

After the opening game of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), it’s not hard to see why pundits see Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as the team that defies odds.

Ahead of the league, every discussion on Chennai’s chances inevitably led to the tumultuous beginning they had after their arrival at the United Arab Emirates.

In the collision of two of the best IPL teams, the odds heavily favoured Mumbai Indians, the defending champions.

Rohit Sharma’s men had beaten CSK five straight times. In fact, Mumbai had won the last eight out of ten games against the Super Kings. Yet, Chennai put the statistic behind to start the tournament with a comprehensive victory.

It’s too early to judge CSK. But the three-time champions will definitely welcome the positive signs from the first match, mainly because their path to the first game was strewn with many hurdles.

Even as they were recovering from the jolt of 13 members, including two players in Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad, testing positive for Covid-19, CSK’s batting mainstay Suresh Raina withdrew from the league citing personal reasons. Harbhajan Singh followed suit. The unexpected developments meant that CSK’s training was delayed.

Dubbed as Dad’s Army, CSK’s ageing stars delivered in the face of adversity to script a five-wicket win. “Overall a very good first game to play and no injuries – most of us are retired. Experience does pay off. Especially these days 300 ODIs with three-match series, it’s a big feat,” said captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a post-match interaction.

Once they stepped on the field, things smoothly fell in place for CSK. Du Plessis, replacing Raina at No.3, carried the team over the line, and Sam Curran, coming in for the injured Dwayne Bravo, impressed with bat and ball.

100 wins

More importantly, Dhoni’s decision to send Curran ahead of himself and Kedar Jadhav was a decision of a genius. With Chennai needing 29 of 17, the young England all-arounder walked in, to the surprise of many.

“It was just a psychological aspect,” explained Dhoni. “They still had two spinners remaining and we tried to intimidate the bowlers a bit. We bat deep so I wanted them (Ravindra Jadeja and Curran) to go after the bowlers. If you clear one or two (sixes), then it’s easier for the batsmen to follow,” said the talismanic player who won 100 IPL games as skipper, a rare feat.

It wasn’t the first time a youngster had justified Dhoni’s trust in him. “To be honest I was surprised I went in at No.6. But he (Dhoni) is a genius, he obviously thought something. I think a left-right combination was the plan. The plan was to target the 18th over. Take the risk, and if it comes off, it comes off, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t,” said Curran.

Every team’s goal is a bright start. Having achieved that, CSK will aim to build on it.