BENGALURU: Pain must be written large on the faces of Chennai Super Kings fans when they see local boy Ravichandran Ashwin donning the red of Kings XI Punjab and promoting them on social media. The off-spinner had been an integral part of CSK and could prove to be a big miss, resulting in new recruit Harbhajan Singh shouldering major spin responsibility.
The Chennai-based team tried to buy Ashwin, but could not match bids from Rajasthan Royals and KXIP. “Ashwin is a miss, but it’s up to the franchise. After (Ravindra) Jadeja was retained as specialist spinner, Ashwin was never really on the cards, although CSK went for him. It’s a miss from the point of view of him being a Chennai boy, but I wouldn’t say a huge one,” former CSK player Subramaniam Badrinath told Express on the sidelines of a Star Sports event.
Spinners are playing an important role in the shortest format these days. They are even asked to bowl up front, and Ashwin is a fine exponent even when field restrictions are on. With CSK playing home matches at Chepauk, which assists spinners, the franchise has included some decent slow bowlers.Despite missing Ashwin, CSK have their bases covered in the spin department. They have proven players including Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma and Harbhajan. Like Ashwin, Harbhajan has the ability to bowl in powerplays. He can also prove handy at the end with his faster ones.
“When you want to talk about the strength of CSK, spin is high on the list. They have a battery of spinners which is really smart, and the conditions are suited for spinners at Chepauk. With the big side boundaries, spinners are not easy to hit.”With Harbhajan, who has 127 wickets in the IPL, having played under the leadership of Dhoni for the national team, their understanding and experience could prove to be a strong component this season. Badrinath feels Harbhajan can also contribute with the bat.
“If there was one venue, which will really suit Harbhajan Singh, it is Chepauk with its big side boundaries. That will be a huge factor in Chennai and the relationship between Dhoni and Harbhajan is also going to be key. Harbhajan can also hit a long ball, coming lower down the order.”
Despite having some quality spinners in their ranks and some good batsmen, CSK’s pace battery can be termed weak. So the slower bowlers will have to deliver the goods for a team which has a number of old horses in Faf Du Plessis, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Murali Vijay among others.
ashimsunam@newindianexpress.com